


Bolt and Keeper: The Lucid Child

by jbhughes54enwiler



Series: Bolt and Keeper [5]
Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Action/Adventure, Bad Parenting, Child trauma, Dragon & Human Interactions, Dragons, Gen, Magic, Major Original Character(s), Original Character(s), Original Character-centric, SandWings (Wings of Fire), Sci-Fi Fantasy, scavenger - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28426218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jbhughes54enwiler/pseuds/jbhughes54enwiler
Summary: Meet Puff, a five-year-old with an astounding ability to make his will a reality.  He lived with his mother in the woods of the northeastern Sky Kingdom until one stormy night when a mysterious NightWing killed his mom and shattered his happy childhood into pieces.Puff is discovered by Bolt in the aftermath of the downpour, and immediately remembering his own past, he adopts him.  But taking care of an all-powerful orphan turns out to be a lot more work than he thought, and soon, Bolt and his friends find themselves caught in a vast conspiracy involving Puff that could very well spell the end of Pyrrhia as they know it.
Series: Bolt and Keeper [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1722475
Comments: 15
Kudos: 28





	1. The Day Puff Lost Everything

**Union's Guide to the Tribes and Races of Pyrrhia**

**SkyWings**

Hailing from the mountains on the northeastern quadrant of Pyrrhia, SkyWings are unmatched flyers with large wings and lightweight bodies. They are usually found in colors like orange and red.

For a period of time SkyWings were feared across Pyrrhia as aggressive dragons with a brutal streak unlike any other tribe. This came to a head under former Queen Scarlet’s rule, whose gladiator arena was responsible for the deaths of countless dragons from all tribes, as well as numerous humans. However, under current Queen Ruby’s rule they are making great efforts towards peace, and with affable young royals such as Prince Cliff living in the palace, the future of the tribe looks bright!

SkyWings are the most inherently carnivorous tribe on the continent, with vicious hunting habits that make many other dragons shudder. Their fire-breathing is also a force to be reckoned with, and in rare cases a SkyWing can be completely overtaken by their flames and become a firescales dragon, whose very presence sets their surroundings ablaze.

**IceWings**

While Union currently has no IceWing residents, our doors are always open to one who wishes to live with us. IceWings are unique in that their blue blood runs freezing cold through their veins, and instead of fire, they have the ability to exhale a wave of pure frost that can instantly freeze their victims solid, making them a formidable opponent. In addition, they have a long line of amini in their royal family, and while the current IceWing royals are not reported to be magic-capable, their society is littered with the magic works of their predecessors.

Not everything is known about IceWing society to outsiders due to their reclusive nature. What is known is that their culture is heavily hierarchical, with citizens conforming strictly to a caste and ranking system they call “Circles.” Citizens move up and down the rankings based on their behavior, achievements, and other factors not clear to us at this time. It seems that usually compassion and empathy are not virtues valued by the Circle system, as many IceWings that follow the caste system are easily perceived by outsiders to be without both qualities in some sense. Though outliers do exist, as evidenced by our partner Winter.

IceWings come in colors between white, silver, blue-white, and blue-silver, making effective camouflage in their natural environment. They, like SkyWings, are predominantly meat-eaters, and their serrated claws make tearing apart their prey very easy.

They are also currently the only tribe _not_ part of the human-dragon relations treaty, so any human encountering an IceWing should use extreme caution, though they generally do not leave the borders of their kingdom, meaning humans in Union's part of the continent shouldn’t be worried.

**MudWings**

Founder Bolt refers to these dragons as the “tanks” of Pyrrhia. While what he means by “tank” is lost on the rest of us, MudWings are identified by their burly bodies and brown scales. Their unique social structure is quite endearing to many, with biological siblings valued above all else. This sentiment is shared to an extent by humans, making this tribe quick to bond with them, and indeed, many of the MudWing residents of Union coming from the nearby Mud Kingdom were some of the first dragons to be accepted into humans’ social circles, and vice versa.

MudWings are best known for dwelling in swamps, mud being their element. Certain MudWings can even heal their bodies by coming into contact with mud, sometimes even granting them the ability to resist fire. The best example of this phenomenon is Clay, the famed Dragonet of Destiny who works in the Jade Mountain Academy. And while our own Founder Fen does not display this ability, he still can often be found loafing around in puddles of mud, with his close human friend Founder Twig nearby in a hammock.

**RainWings**

The most colorful tribe in Pyrrhia has a host of unique abilities and are very well known for their laid-back, carefree attitudes. They are also notable for being the only purely vegetarian tribe, posing no threat to humans or other dragons. (Unless provoked, see _What to do When A RainWing Gets Angry_ or _Experimental Treatments for RainWing Venom_ for details)

RainWings have two special abilities that set them apart: their camouflage and their venom. Their camouflage allows them to change their scale patterns to what their surroundings look like, rendering them practically invisible. Their venom is especially dangerous, burning through organic matter like potent acid.

While most RainWings are content to continue living in their rainforest, a few of them have moved to Union in a desire to expand their horizons. Many of them had not met other tribes before, and we hope their experiences in this settlement are something they can learn from.

**NightWings**

NightWings are a very formidable presence and have a unique place in Pyrrhian history. While most of their tribe currently resides with the RainWings in their Rainforest Kingdom, a number of them have moved to Union, mostly out of desire for a more comfortable place to live, but sometimes also out of curiosity for what it would be like to share a town with other tribes and humans, a prospect that warms our hearts here at the Council.

NightWings’ abilities are especially unique, but also somewhat rare currently. The genesis of their tribe powers depends on a very specific natural factor, namely the positions of the Moons when a NightWing hatches. If they hatch under the light of one full Moon, they gain either mind-reading powers or the gift of prophecy. If they hatch under two, they gain both. It is currently unknown what happens if a NightWing hatches on a Brightest Night.

NightWings also have a highly septic bite; a single piercing from their teeth makes their prey intensely sick. They used this as a hunting habit until recently. In addition they can also breathe fire, and finally, their black scales mean that they can blend into darkness, making them ideal night hunters.

**Humans**

Long regarded as mere animals, Pyrrhia's second intelligent race had a long history of being hunted by dragons, either for food or as revenge for an act committed by a human, or in some unfortunate cases “simply because they can.” The Union Society changed all that, and now in Union dragons can live alongside these highly spirited primates in peace.

Humans walk on two legs, freeing up their other two limbs for more useful purposes. What used to be their front feet have evolved into extraordinarily versatile tools they call "hands," and their diminutive size gives them agility unmatched by any dragon tribe, though they are flightless. Their greatest strengths are their highly tuned intellect, incredibly high adaptability and endurance, and tenacity for producing advanced tools and machines, their mechanical intelligence far outstripping what dragons have achieved in many respects.

Humans will always be found "clothed," or clad in fabric or fur coverings created by them. They are used for keeping their bodies warm in cold environments, signaling their status within their society, expressing their personalities, and for hiding certain parts of their bodies that they, for reasons they don't generally make clear, are extremely sensitive about.

While humans have been, for a very long time, called “scavengers” by dragons, it is important to note that a lot of humans really do not like being called this. Humans also have their own, completely distinctive language, and while the bracelets humans living in Union are given translate their tongue into Dragon, classes are also available for dragons and humans to learn each other’s languages. We hope that eventually the bracelets will be unnecessary.

\----------------------------------------------------

JBHUGHES54ENWILER PRESENTS

BOLT AND KEEPER

THE LUCID CHILD

**Chapter One: The Day Puff Lost Everything**

“Puff… It’s time to wake up.” Cascade shook her five-year-old son gently as he lay in his bed.

Puff groaned softly and rubbed his eyes. “Mommy… Five more minutes… Please.”

“Don’t you want breakfast, child?” Her voice became a sing-song melody enticing her beloved child out of his slumber. “I made strawberry toast!”

Puff’s eyes shot open, taking on a white glow at the very tangible image of one of his favorite treats, and the child’s body shot upwards a couple feet, his body suspended in midair. “OH BOY!!” He shouted, and he threw off his blanket, letting it drift back onto his bed, and he eventually floated down and his feet touched the floor.

“I thought that would convince you,” Puff’s mother said, and she stepped into the second room of their home, her boy excitedly tailing after her.

Cascade and Puff lived deep in the woods in a well-camouflaged two-room hut, far from any other human or dragon settlement. Puff had wondered why they lived alone in this secluded environment for as long as he could remember, but his mother, when asked, would always reply with “I’ll tell you when you’re older.” 

However, Puff thought he already had it figured out: He was “different.”

Puff, ever since he was born, had been very _different_ from any other human he knew. Puff could make “wishes,” and if he believed in his wishes hard enough, they would come true. But sometimes, if he got upset, his wishes wouldn’t be very nice, and when those ones came true, he could hurt people or break things. And Puff thought that was the reason why he and his mommy had to live away from other people, in order to protect them.

As he walked to the table where possibly the most delicious food ever waited for him, he lifted his left hand to his face and stared at the back of it. The light-brown skin on his small, short-fingered hand looked completely normal now, but he knew that his left hand hid a big secret that his mommy had told him never to show to anyone. When he was about to make a wish, a pretty glowing picture would appear on its back. To him, it looked like a flower, with even, curved petals spreading in four directions across the surface of his skin.

Puff plopped down on the wooden chair and before his mom could tell him to wait, he began digging into his breakfast, chopped strawberries and pieces of sugared bread disappearing into his mouth. It was so delicious he felt he could burst with joy.

Soon Cascade sat down in her chair and she began eating her serving of the food. She too enjoyed this dish, and she enjoyed watching her son react to eating it. Puff, her lovely, wondrous son, she loved more than anything in the world.

“Puff,” she said, “We have to go to the market today. Would you like to come with me?”

Puff stopped chewing and looked up with wide eyes. “Really? But you haven’t ever let me come with you before.”

“I know, but I think you’re ready. Remember what I’ve been teaching you, about making sure you don’t wish things when you’re with strangers? We’re going to practice that.”

Puff’s heart swelled. His mommy finally trusted him enough that she was letting him go to town with her! Now he was even happier than he normally was when he was eating strawberry toast, but he tamped down the explosion of sparkles he _really_ wanted to wish for so mommy wouldn’t think he wasn’t ready anymore.

“When are we going?” Puff asked.

“Soon,” She replied, “I just need to get my sword and backpack.”

Puff and Cascade stepped outside of the hut. Puff jogged over to his play set that his mother made for him in the yard, a playground paradise with a wooden rocking horse, a slide, and a swingset. He jumped onto the horse and wildly swung back and forth on it while Cascade walked into a locked shed and began digging around inside of it.

Eventually she emerged with a leather scabbard strapped across her back, and a large backpack on her shoulders. “Ready to go?” She inquired.

“Yes!!” Puff happily screamed, and he bounded off the play-horse and sprinted over to his mother.

“Okay, Puff. Here’s my big rule for this trip: Stay close to mommy, no matter what. No wandering off.”

“Okay, mommy!”

And with that, Puff and his mother embarked down the wooded trail leading towards Haven.

Puff had never, ever left his home before. Every step along this trail was something entirely, amazingly _new._ There was a new tree, a new bush, and before he would know it, a whole new _town_ full of all-new _people_. It was all so exciting, and he couldn’t wait to see it all.

“Puff, stay close to me,” Cascade cautioned, and Puff realized he was beginning to trail further behind his mom. He picked up the pace and caught up to her.

\------------------------------------

-Four Hours Later-

“Look, Puff, there it is!”

Puff could see some wooden buildings in the distance through the trees. Soon they passed a sign.

“What does that say?” Puff asked.

“It says ‘Welcome to Haven,” Cascade said, “It means we’re here.”

They crossed a small bridge over a tiny brook into the town. Right away Puff was overwhelmed: There were dozens of people milling about, a barrage of smells from various homes and businesses assaulted his nose. His mind swam, hoping he’d be able to control himself in the middle of all this activity.

“First we need to go to the butcher. We’re going to have nice big steaks tonight.”

Puff licked his lips at the thought of that. His mom always brought back steaks from Haven when she went there, and the tender meat always got Puff salivating, though it wasn’t as yummy as sweet strawberry toast.

Puff followed his mother to a stand behind which hung many cuts of different meats, some of which were dripping dark-red blood into buckets below them on the ground, which made Puff a little queasy.

“Cascade!” A young man behind the stand called, “It’s been a while!” He gasped as he saw Puff, whose nose barely cleared the top of the counter. “Cascade… Is that him?”

“Sure is, Calico! Say hello to Puff!”

“Oh my goodness, he’s so adorable!” He bent down to Puff’s level. “Hi, Puff! It’s so nice to meet you!”

Puff blushed a little. He had never met this man before. His mother gave him an encouraging nudge.

“Uh, h-hi, Calico! Nice to meet you too!”

“My, my, you look so nervous, kid! Did I turn into a dragon or something? Seriously, little one, I don’t bite.”

Puff’s apprehension lifted a bit, and he giggled.

“How often do you socialize him, Cass? He’s gotta make some friends at this age, he needs to learn how to interact with other humans!”

Cascade got closer, a slight frown creasing her lips. “You know that would be dangerous, Callie. With his… Abilities, I’d be worried about him hurting his friends. Anyway, I need some eye round cuts, two or three of them will do.”

“Alright, Cass, but I really need you to get this kid some interaction. Why don’t you stop by the school gardens for a bit and let him run around with other kids his age?”

Cascade nervously looked at Puff. Puff took her hand, and said: “It’s okay, mommy. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“Sounds great, Cass. I’ll go cut you some steak then.

Calico pulled a long, serrated knife out of a wooden knife block and walked over to a skinned cow carcass. Puff looked away before he started slicing. He liked the taste of steak, but he really didn’t like seeing where it came from.

“Alright, Puff, let’s go.” His mom took his hand and led him through town to the schoolhouse, outside of which stood a large garden adorned with large, elaborate playsets that admittedly put the one Puff had at home to shame.

“Okay, Puff. I’m going to go continue shopping. You go make some friends, and whatever you do… Don’t wish for _anything._ I’ll come pick you up in a bit.”

Cascade stepped away back towards the market. Puff looked at the playground, which was full of playing children. Puff swallowed nervously.

_The butcher man did say it’s important for kids to have friends… But he didn’t say anything on_ how _to make them._

“Hey you!” A high-pitched voice pierced towards him out of the playground.

Puff looked up and saw a girl who looked slightly older than him staring straight at him.

“Yeah, you! Come over here!”

Puff felt his palms slick with sweat. The girl was loud, and demanding, and _so_ much not like his nice, soft-speaking mommy. But he didn’t want to make her mad, so he walked up to her as she jumped with a graceful agility from a tree-shaped climbing structure and landed in a wobbly crouch on the ground.

_Wow… I definitely can’t do that…_

“I’m Silver! What’s your name??”

“I… I-I’m Puff!” He blurted, trying to sound as loud and obnoxious as her.

“Nice ‘ta meetcha!” Silver shouted back, “Wanna go play?”

“Uhh, sure!”

Silver grabbed Puff’s hand and dragged the boy towards a huge structure made from wood and stone resembling a castle made specially for kids. It even had underground tunnels for children to crawl through. It was _definitely_ way more elaborate than his playground at home, though he still liked the one at home more because it was _his;_ his mommy made it just for him.

“Okay, let’s play Hide and Seek! You go find a spot to hide in this castle, and I’ll try to find you! Sound good?”

“Sure!”

“Okay, go hide, and I’ll count to one-hundred!” Silver covered her eyes with her hands. “One, two…”

Puff’s eyes widened and he scrambled around the playground, searching for a good hiding spot. He decided the tunnels inside the castle would be a good place. He quietly snuck out of Silver’s earshot and ran over to the castle, then crouched down and slithered into a tunnel. He crawled forward on his belly, taking a moment to marvel at the spacious burrow. Light spilled in through a well-placed skylight on the ceiling.

Puff got on his feet and ran towards the wall where a series of child-sized cubbyholes offered a possible hiding spot for him. He suspected that this burrow might have been designed to double as a dragon shelter for children, which would be a very smart design decision, allowing children in the village who happen to be playing at the moment of a dragon attack to take shelter right away.

He crawled inside. It was a perfect spot to hide from dragons… But maybe not from other humans.

_Oh no… What if she finds me here? Will she be mad that I picked such a dumb hiding place? What if she hits me?_

_OH NO!!_

Silver was right there in front of him. Looking right into the cubbyhole he was hiding in.

“Puff! Where are you?”

_Huh?_

“Puff?” Silver walked away, leaving behind a supremely confused Puff.

_Why can’t she see me? I’m right here,_ w _hy can’t she se-- Oh my goodness!_

Puff raised his hands to his face… Or at least he thought he did. When he told his arms to move, nothing came into his eyesight. He waved his hands back and forth, going faster and faster. Finally, beginning to panic, he deliberately slapped his own cheek.

_Ouch… Okay, I felt that. But why can’t I see myself?_

_Wait… Oh no. I’m invisible!!_

_How do I change myself back!?_

He tried to remember the words he needed to speak to make a wish.

“I want… I want to be visible again!”

Puff tried looking at his hand again.

It still wasn’t there.

Puff’s eyes watered, wondering if his mommy would _ever_ get to look at him again. He rolled out of the niche, clambered back out of the tunnel, and dodged oblivious children as he ran onto the street, trying to find his way back to the market.

Puff ran past the butcher stand. His mom wasn’t there.

_What else does mommy buy at the market? Maybe strawberries for toast?_

Puff walked through the stands, trying to find one that sold strawberries, and looking for his mother at the same time. He wanted to try calling out for her, but he knew that an invisible boy calling out for his mommy would probably send the town into a panic.

_They’d probably think I’m a ghost! It’d be a funny prank, but mommy would be_ SO _mad…_

He continued looking for a strawberry stand, not having much luck. There was a leather stand, a shoe stand, another butcher shop, a flower stand, and many others. A poster on a wall nearby, though he couldn’t read the words on it, showed a man and a dragon walking together through a town seemingly made for both of them, apparently getting along and looking happy.

_Like that’s ever going to happen. If I were that man I’d be running for the hills._

Still no strawberry stands. Puff wondered if he should go back to the playground and just wait for his mom there. He decided to do just that.

As soon as he stepped back onto the playground floor, he heard something that made his heart flutter with relief.

“Puff? It’s time to go home!”

Puff zeroed in on the source of his mom’s voice and ran straight towards her.

“Mommy!!” Puff shouted.

“Puff?” Cascade looked at Puff’s general location. “Where are you?”

“I’m right here!!”

“Puff, I can’t see-- Puff, what the heck did you do!?”

Puff ran into his mother and pressed his head against her belly. “Mommy I’m so sorry! I wasn’t even _trying_ to make a wish; it just happened!”

“Puff, calm down. Try to relax, _then_ try to un-wish that wish.”

Puff obeyed, beginning to take deep breaths like he practiced. After he cleared his mind, he spoke within himself, _I want to become visible again!_

“See? There you go.”

Puff looked down, and could see his body again; his shirt, his pants, his little toes sitting inside his sandals, all of it was _back!_

Puff sighed with relief. He turned around…

And saw Silver standing there, her mouth agape.

_Oopsie..._

“So that’s how you hid from me! I can’t believe it, you’re MAGIC!!”

“Silver, I’m so sorry I cheated at Hide and Seek! I wasn’t even trying, I--”

“That’s so _cool!!_ Can you teach me how to do that, _please??”_

“Uh… Uhhh…”

His mother hesitated, then stepped in. “I’m sorry, little one, but you can’t teach this sort of thing. He was born with his abilities.”

“Oh… That’s too bad… But I’d love to play with him sometime again! I’ll see you around, Puff!”

Silver dashed back to the playground. Puff looked back up at his mother, who looked a smidge relieved.

“Thank goodness she took the news well…” She told herself, then she looked at her son. “Alright, Puff, let’s go home.”

“You’re not mad at me?”

“Well… I was expecting something like this to happen. But it wasn’t as much of a disaster as I was fearing. You did a good job. Now let’s go home and celebrate the step forward you just took with some steak!”

“Yay!”

\---------------------------------------

As they walked back home, Puff looked through the forest canopy at the sky and could see that it was all clouded up, and beginning to look a little like soup.

His mother’s face looked cloudy too. “Let’s pick up the pace, Puff,” She said sternly, “A storm’s coming. Fast too.”

They speed-walked down the trail, and soon the first raindrops fell.

“Come on, Puff, run!”

The mother and her son began to jog homeward, and a bright flash lit up the sky, followed by a gigantic _BOOM_ that shook the ground. The rain became a torrent that pelted the two humans.

“Mommy, I’m scared!”

“Don’t be, Puff! We’re going to get home safe, I’ll make sure of it!”

_**CRACK!** _

Puff’s vision whited out, and his ears started ringing.

“MOMMY!!” Puff screamed at the top of his lungs, as he rubbed his eyes, trying to regain his sight.

Puff felt himself being picked up and carried by his mother along the trail at top speed. Cascade didn’t notice the dark shadow soaring over them.

“It’s all fine, Puff!” Cascade shouted, “We’re going to make it home sa-- SHIT!!”

Puff’s heart sank hearing his mommy say such a bad word, knowing that it meant that things were in fact not okay, that they were not safe.

He felt himself being dropped on the ground, and heard a sound of metal sliding along leather. Puff stood up, his vision clearing, and he nearly wet himself when he saw the gigantic Night Dragon standing before them, the only thing standing between the giant death monster and him was his beloved mother.

Cascade raised her sword at the dragon, her normally warm and kind face completely solid and stone-like with protective fury.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY SON, YOU BASTARD!!” Puff’s mom screamed with such sheer anger, a tone he had _never_ heard her use, not even when Puff was extra naughty.

The Night Dragon let out a spine-tingling roar, and rushed at the two of them, its teeth bared.

“MOMMY LOOK OUT!”

“GRAAUGH!” His mom screamed, and she swung at the dragon, the blade slicing into its leg, drawing blood.

The dragon roared again, and before Puff could warn her, Cascade was pinned beneath its talon.

“NOO!!” Puff screamed, and he ran towards her, trying to think of a wish that would save her.

His mom looked at him, her face strangely calm, then she looked up at the dragon, and her expression became all stony and serious again.

"Run, Puff! Don't worry about me! Save yourself! And whatever you do, don't let your da-- AAUUGHH!!"

The dragon closed its talon with Cascade inside. His mommy made a loud squishing noise, and some blood squirted out of her mouth and nose. Puff was too innocent to fully register what exactly the dragon did to her yet... But he did know that his mother was hurt very badly.

Puff started panting hard as the dragon turned its terrible eyes towards him. He began to cry, not knowing what to do. His mother had never taught him what to do when a dragon attacked.

Then it finally hit him.

_It killed mommy… It… Killed…_

_**NO.** _

Puff’s vision went blurry, his whole body started shaking.

He looked down at his hands again. The flower picture was glowing on his left hand, brighter than he’d _ever_ seen it. Gritting his teeth with sheer emotion, he raised his left hand towards the dragon, whose eyes widened with what Puff swore was _fear,_ and before the dragon could get any closer…

“ **I WANT THIS DRAGON TO** _ **GO AWAY!!!!”**_

Puff’s hair turned a luminous white, his whole body began to glow, a great wind shook the trees and sent the raindrops falling in many different directions…

And the dragon that had killed his mother disappeared in a gigantic puff of smoke.

Puff fell to his knees, gasping with exhaustion. Then he saw his mother lying on the ground where the dragon had been standing, her body very still, _too_ still. He crawled over to her as thunder and lightning shook the ground once more.

His mommy had blood leaking out of her mouth, her nose, her eyes. Parts of her clothes were torn by the claws that had been holding her. It made him sick seeing his mom like this.

“Mommy?” Puff asked, and he prodded her cheek with his hand. Her skin was too cold. She didn’t move.

“Mommy!?” Puff yelled, panic starting to set in. Then he realized what he could do.

He placed his hands on his mother’s chest, and spoke as loudly as he could over the roaring winds:

“I want mommy to be better again!”

He started glowing again, and Cascade began to glow as well… But then the glow dimmed.

She was still too cold.

“I want mommy to be better again!”

The glow didn’t even reach his mother’s body this time. Puff tried again and again, tears beginning to choke his voice, sobbing out his desperate wishes rather than merely speaking them.

“Make her better, I wish she was better, WHY WON’T YOU MAKE HER BETTER!?!?”

Puff’s head fell onto his mother’s wet, clammy chest and he began to bawl, tears mixing in with the rain.

_It’s not working… It’s not working…_

Lightning flashed again, the thunder drowning out the sound of Puff sobbing.

_Mommy’s_ _gone..._


	2. Bolt Adopts a Superhuman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we catch up with Bolt and Keeper, and get a glimpse into their life six years after the events of Envoy of the Scavengers.
> 
> Bolt discovers Puff on a relief mission to Haven Village and vows to take care of the newly-orphaned child, but quickly gets to witness the powers the boy possesses.

**Chapter Two: Bolt Adopts a Superhuman**

“Humans and dragons, this meeting of the Union Council is called to order.”

Bolt looked out over the council members seated around him; The group sat in a semicircle, with the humans’ desks raised above the floor so that they could be at an equal level to the dragons. On Bolt’s left was Keeper, and on his right was Fen, lending some comfort and familiarity to the court proceedings

“Roll call,” Fen said, “Everyone state their name and role for the record.”

A woman on the far left of the desks spoke first. “Scribe Mint, present.”

A burly male NightWing beside her went next. “I am Nightcrawler, Chief of the Enforcement Squad.”

A male human followed them. “I’m Apple… I’m this council’s treasurer.”

Then Keeper. “Keeper is present, I’m a Founder, and chief counselor”

“Bolt, Founder and Human-Dragon Liaison.”

“Fen, Founder and official Union Society mascot. Oh, and I’m the dragon who manages trade with other towns; that’s pretty useful.”

Twig giggled quietly at his friend’s statement. “Twig, Founder and human legislator.”

The last dragon, a female SkyWing, spoke, “I’m Carmine, and I manage draconic legislation.”

Finally, the last human, a young adult female “I’m Tulip, I’m kinda new here and I don’t have a role yet.”

Bolt sat up. “Very well. Do we have any announcements or updates on the town?”

Nightcrawler stood erect and raised his talon.

“Yes, Nightcrawler?”

“The Talons of Power continue to be a threat to Union’s human population. We’ve had several confirmed reports of men, women, and even children being kidnapped by them, presumably to be sold on the black market as delicacies." He shivered his wings in disgust.

Tulip grimaced. “That’s terrible... I presume you’re doing everything in your power to rescue these innocent people?”

“We are trying our best, however, their hideout is very well hidden.”

Twig spoke next. “We need to find their base of operations soon. Every minute they continue to operate is another opportunity for a helpless human to get devoured by a dragon. Is enlisting outside help a possibility?”

“Since the Talons of Power once tried to usurp the SandWing throne, Queen Thorn has already agreed to lend a squadron of SandWings to serve as a search party.”

“That’s great,” Bolt said, “The more the merrier.”

The dragons in the room raised their eyebrows.

“It’s, uh, one of our human sayings.”

“I have another update,” Nightcrawler said.

“Go ahead,” Bolt replied.

“There was reportedly a very severe storm that hit the northeastern quadrant of Pyrrhia earlier today. It disrupted our trade routes with the Sky Palace as well as a human settlement to the northeast of it.”

Twig jumped up. “That’s Haven!” He shouted, “That’s where my family moved! We have to send a team to see if the town’s alright!”

Bolt waved his hand downwards at Twig, gesturing for him to calm down, and down he sat. “I agree. Human towns aren’t always built to handle storms very well, simply because of how small and wooden they usually are. In addition to sending a team to the SkyWing Palace, we should also send assistance to Haven. Me and Keeper will make up the team to there, Fen and Twig will be the team to the palace. Any objections?”

No one spoke.

Fen looked over at Twig. “Really, Twig, you don’t want to go with Bolt to Haven? What about your family?”

Twig crossed his arms. “I’m worried about them… But I don’t think they’d be happy to see me.”

Bolt turned to him. “Twig, you can’t keep shutting out your family. You don’t know if they’re still upset with you or not; they might miss you!”

Twig stood out of his seat, his eyes getting a little fiery. “You think that because your family actually _loved_ you. My famil--”

Keeper raised his wings. “Okay, both of you, that’s _enough._ Council meetings are not the place for personal arguments. We will leave tomorrow. Any other topics of discussion?”

Carmine spoke next. “As you all likely know, soon our town will celebrate its sixth anniversary. We plan to hold a festival in the Communal District, but an accidental fire in our farms last week disrupted the supply of crops that humans use to make their food. If we’re going to properly celebrate, we’ll need to acquire food for the people.”

“Well, that’s a problem,” Fen said, “We can’t have a festival the Union way if the humans can’t have any fun. I’ll see if I can hit up our trade partners to see if we can purchase some replacements.”

“Anything else?” Bolt asked.

“I think that’s everything,” Fen said.

“Very well," Keeper said, "Meeting adjourned!”

\---------------------------------

Bolt strolled with Keeper out of the Central Hub.

“Bolt,” Keeper said, “You should start wearing more formal clothing to these meetings.”

Bolt looked down at his tee and cargo shorts. “What? They’re comfortable and easy to wear, and they make me look friendlier. Besides, I don’t tell _you_ to wear clothes.”

“I’m a dragon, Bolt. Clothing isn’t as much of a cultural requirement for us as it is for you. But some humans have been telling me you seem like you’re not taking your job seriously, and if you donned something more official-looking you wouldn't be seen that way anymore. It admittedly sounds really strange to me. You humans place _way_ too much value in cloth.”

“Alright, fine, I’ll look for something at a shop. I’ll go right now.”

“Very well. I’ll see you at home.”

Bolt branched off from Keeper and began walking down the street towards the Union Building. It had just recently been completed. The building was inspired by multi-purpose buildings and skyscrapers on Earth, and it stood symbolic of the amazing feats humans and dragons could accomplish when they worked together. It really was amazing that they managed to build a structure usually reserved for the modern era using medieval technology, though it was only ten stories high. (Ten _dragon_ -sized stories)

Bolt walked into a somewhat upscale tailor shop on the ground level, that curiously enough also worked with adornments for dragons, which meant that this was a cohabited establishment run by both a human and a dragon.

“Hello, Founder,” The human tailor said from behind his desk. The dragon employee, a SkyWing, was lounging on a cushion behind him.

“Hi, I’d like to know whether you have any formal wear?”

“Plenty of it.” He pointed to a rack in the back of the store. “Take a look.”

Bolt passed through the dragon area of the store towards the back. He noticed a poster on the wall. It had a cute drawing of a human excitedly waving his hands above his head, crowned by a speech bubble with "HELLO!" in English inside of it. The rest of the sign had words in Dragon that, from what Bolt could tell, seemed to be advertising a nearby shop selling human-made trinkets.

He continued to the racks, and began looking through them. Eventually he found a very extravagant robe complete with gold fiber weaved into some parts of it.

_Well, if they want formal, they’ll_ get _formal._

Bolt paid _too_ much money on the robe, then stepped out of the store onto the streets…

And nearly knocked over a child in doing so.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, kid!” Bolt said as he stepped back quickly. Getting a better look at him, he could see that the boy, who couldn't have been older than nine or ten, was wearing an adorable and well-crafted hat in the shape of a pig’s head, complete with little floppy ears sewn onto the top and tiny button eyes on the front.

“No, I’m sorry, Founder!” He blushed and pulled his hat over his eyes. “I should’ve watched where I was going!”

Bolt bent down and put his hand gently on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, it's not a big deal at all.”

The boy looked out from underneath his hat, his eyes watering a little. “You’re not going to have the dragons get me?”

_Okay, who the blip put_ that _into this kid’s head!?_

“Absolutely not. Who told you I was like that?”

“We moved here from Talisman a month ago… And Trout said that the Founders make all the dragons do their bidding, and if you make them mad they send them after you.”

_Note to self: pay this “Trout” person a visit._

“What’s your name?”

“I’m Walnut.”

“Well, Walnut, we’re not like that at all. In Union, the dragons are our friends. We don’t order them around, just like they can’t use us as slaves.”

A MudWing passed them, and Walnut whimpered and shuffled away slightly.

_He’s not used to living among dragons, and the lies_ _that the man_ _in Talisman told him really didn’t help._

“Hey, how about I walk you home? Do you know where you live?”

Walnut nodded.

“Okay, lead us there.”

Walnut began walking to the east towards the Human Half district, and Bolt followed him. The ears on his hat bobbed up and down with each step, and his head swiveled side to side, apparently searching for dragons to avoid.

Three red SkyWing dragonets landed right in front of them, causing Walnut to emit a high-pitched scream of pure terror, and he dashed behind Bolt while shivering wildly.

One of the SkyWings looked curiously at the two humans. “Oh, hi Founder!” He said.

Another one stared at Walnut. “That cub made the screaming noise humans make when they’re scared. Is he okay?”

Bolt scratched the back of his head. “This is Walnut. He hasn’t gotten past his fear of dragons yet so I’d appreciate it if you moved aside so I can get him home.”

“Oh, okay, Bolt!” The three dragonets cleared a path for the two humans.

“Come on, Walnut,” Bolt said and he nudged the boy forward.

The rest of the trip to Walnut’s house was uneventful. It turned out that Walnut lived just south of the Human’s Market. He approached the front door and knocked on it a few times.

About ten seconds later, the door opened. Inside stood a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties wearing simple clothing, with slightly pale skin and long, flowing brown hair.

“Oh, hello, Founder,” she said, then she noticed Walnut. “Was there a problem with my son?”

“Not at all ma’am, but I’d like to talk to you about something he told me.”

“Of course. Come inside.”

Bolt and Walnut followed the woman into her home.

“I’m Chestnut, by the way. And I’m sure my son Walnut has already introduced himself.”

“OK then, Chestnut.” Bolt sat down on a seat in the living room. “I ran into your son in the Communal District. He was completely alone and terrified of the dragons, and if I wasn’t around to help him he probably would have had a panic episode if a dragon got too close to him.”

“Oh, dear, I’m sorry he inconvenienced you.”

Bolt frowned. “It wasn’t an inconvenience at all, Chestnut. What I’m more worried about is that you moved this boy to a city full of dragons when he obviously needs to wean off his fear of them first.”

“That’s exactly why we did move here. I was getting tired of the elders’ fear-mongering in Talisman and I wanted to see for myself what life with dragons is like! Unfortunately… One of _them_ got to my son before I could leave.”

“While I understand your intentions, Chestnut, forcing a child to coexist with their worst fear isn’t a valid way to get them to be _less_ scared of said fear!”

“I couldn’t stay any longer in Talisman, Bolt. That town’s becoming less and less hospitable to people, it’s such a toxic place!”

Bolt sighed. “At least get him enrolled in some therapeutic sessions at the Central Hub. Otherwise I’d be scared of the poor boy giving himself panic attacks left and right.”

“Very well. I’ll look into it.”

Bolt looked at Walnut, who was fondling his hat on his head. “By the way, if it’s okay to ask, what’s with the hat?”

“Oh, his animal hats? That’s how I keep him calm. They’re comfort objects for him. I made them myself.”

“There’s more than one?”

“Dozens of them. All themed after different animals. He never leaves home without one of them on his head.”

“That, admittedly, is very cute.”

“I agree. It especially helped since he always felt lonely without his father.”

“What happened?”

“Oh, he was a little infant when it happened… But a SkyWing ate my husband Peanut more than eight years ago. Poor child never got to know his ‘papa.’” Walnut gripped his hat more tightly upon hearing that, his eyes glistening.

_So many children with missing parents because of dragons… I’m glad those days are almost over._

“Anyway, I’ll make sure I take Walnut up for some help soon.”

“See to it. Anyway, see you.”

“Take care, Founder!”

Bolt left Chestnut’s house. The Sun was beginning to set, and electric streetlights that were powered by the latantite generator in the old underground bunker began to flicker on. Inside homes around him families were no doubt sitting down for dinner, as evidenced by the alluring scent of cooked food wafting around the streets.

“I better get home for dinner myself,” Bolt told himself.

He speed-walked towards the street that went from the Human’s Market through the Communal District into the Dragon Half district. His and Keeper’s home sat just inside the district. When he reached it, he looked up at the home. Bolt’s tower jutted out of the rear of the house on the right side of the building, while the bottom level of it was scaled up for dragons.

Bolt went onto the yard and opened his smokehouse. Inside was his stash of venison that he had hunted himself, with the bow he had maintained since he was ten years old. He picked out a cut that looked like it had been smoked for long enough and took it inside.

Bolt walked up the ramp to his dining area and dropped his new robe onto the table, then pulled over a plate and plopped his meal onto it.

Keeper walked in from his bedroom and immediately saw the robe on the table.

“Three Moons, Bolt, I said formal, not _royal.”_

“I thought it looked nice.”

Keeper groaned, which, without any translation, would sound somewhat menacing. “Whatever,” he eventually finished.

“So… The big mission tomorrow.”

“I’m sure the humans in Haven are fine, Bolt. If they can survive for years in the shadow of the SkyWing Palace, I’m sure they can handle a severe thunderstorm.”

“Well… Okay.” Bolt pulled the venison cut up to his mouth with his hands and bit off a piece.

“Don’t humans normally use tools to cut their meat into bite-sized pieces?”

“Ehh, I’m used to doing it like this.”

“Alright, forest boy.”

Bolt continued eating his dinner while Keeper walked to his desk. Within minutes, Bolt swallowed the last of his meal, then went up to the icebox to take out a jug of milk, which he drank directly out of. Finally, Bolt yawned, put the bottle back, and walked towards the spiral staircase and trudged upstairs to his room.

The tower contained four levels. There was a storage room in the basement that connected to the cellar Keeper used for storage, a bathroom for humans on the ground level, an unused human-sized guest bedroom halfway up the staircase, and Bolt’s spacious quarters on the top floor, plus a small observation deck on the roof of the tower.

Bolt’s bedroom was a mess. There was clothing strewn about, his bed wasn’t made, an unfinished dresser was missing its top, and tools he was using to build it were littered around. Finally waking up to this, Bolt got to work tidying up the room.

An hour later, his “scavvie-nest” (A play on the Terran term “man-cave” which Bolt thought was a fitting term for this room) was back in top shape. Bolt walked over to the latantite-powered light fixture he brought over from Terra and switched it off. He then flopped down on his bed, letting out a big sigh. He shimmied out of his clothing, down to his boxers, and pulled under the blanket, curling up and falling asleep soon after.

\----------------------------

Bolt felt like he was underwater. He held his breath, and tried to swim upward, but the murky depths never seemed to end. This scared Bolt, but somehow he didn’t seem to be drowning. Bolt looked around and did not see any landmarks or anything familiar at all; he was afloat in a nondescript underwater abyss.

_Uhh, this looks creepy. Hopefully I don’t run into a hungry SeaWing… Or worse._

Bolt picked a direction and swam towards it. It began to get darker. Bolt’s heart began to pound; this was really starting to get unnerving.

Then he began to hear whispers.

_He’s not ready._

_We’re running out of time. He’s already lost his mother… We need to--_

A deep, guttural voice that didn’t sound human _or_ dragon boomed throughout the water.

_**As Lu’Cis gorva hom, no Womra Ann a mo yor.** _

Whatever this language was, it took way longer than normal for his head to translate it… And even then it came out in what seemed like an ancient Terran language.

_**Si Lu’Cis invenit illum, et veteris orbis amplius.** _

_Sounds like Latin… But it doesn’t sound like a perfect translation of whatever THAT was._

Suddenly flashes of a vision appeared before his eyes. A young boy crying over a woman’s dead body, his back turned to his viewpoint. A terrible storm shaking the trees in a forest somewhere. A NightWing he had never seen before.

The last thing he saw truly terrified Bolt. It was a vision of an earthquake the likes of which didn’t seem possible, one that caused every mountain in Pyrrhia to topple, and made entire towns disappear into gigantic fissures. He saw humans screaming, and dying, all across the planet.

It was a vision of the end of the world.

_Beware the Lucid Child…_ A voice whispered to Bolt, before he woke up in a cold sweat.

\--------------------------------

“What _was_ that?” Bolt asked himself as he sat up in bed. Outside, the Sun was just beginning to rise, so Bolt decided to get ready for his mission.

_I’ve had nightmares before, but none like this. It was almost like I was really hearing people, like… Someone’s trying to_ warn _me about something._

_Maybe I should lay off the fantasy novels._

Bolt slid his legs into a fresh pair of jeans, then pulled a long-sleeve shirt over his head. That far north it got a little chilly, especially at higher altitudes. He’d need to be bundled up for his flight with Keeper to Haven.

Bolt went to the kitchen downstairs and had some toast and an apple for breakfast, giving himself an extra portion of bread to keep his inner fire stoked for longer.

When Bolt was finished, he looked around the living room.

_Strange, Keeper’s not here. Is he still sleeping? He’s going to need to wake up soon, we’ve got a long flight ahead of us!_

Bolt walked across the living room, the curls of thread on the dragon-made rug coming up to his ankles. “Ugh, Keeper, why did you get a carpet this thick?” Bolt lamented to himself, and he weaved through the “grass” into Keeper’s bedroom.

Inside, Keeper was completely upside-down. His wings were fully spread out over the edge of his mattress, and his tail flopped over the edge as well. His body looked supremely relaxed, but his face… Not so much. His eyes were scrunched shut, his teeth were bared.

_Is he having a nightmare?_

Bolt approached Keeper and stepped around his wing, and got onto his neck. Bolt rubbed his friend’s neck firmly.

“Keeper, wake up!” He yelled softly.

“ROOAARRRGHH!!” Keeper abruptly roared, and with a spasm, Bolt was catapulted, screaming, off of Keeper’s neck onto the stone floor below, and he skinned his cheek on impact.

Bolt looked up, and barely had time to get out of the way before Keeper’s poisonous tail barb smashed down where he was laying.

“KEEPER, STOP!!” Bolt screamed. He was terrified, he had _never_ seen Keeper act like this.

“Stay away from me, monster!!” Keeper roared at him.

“Keeper, it’s me, Bolt! Your friend!!”

With another spasm, Keeper’s eyes became clearer. He looked down at his stricken companion and his eyes widened in horror.

“Oh my goodness, Bolt, I’m so sorry!!” He crouched down and looked Bolt over. “Are you hurt?”

Bolt stood up and brushed off his clothing, then rubbed his raw face. “I’m shaken up, but I’m fine. What was that just now?”

“I… I was having a very strange dream. There were these voices… Some language I never heard before… And then there was a big earthquake and… I saw all the dragons in Pyrrhia dropping, and dying.”

Bolt went very pale, gasping for air. “Keeper… Keeper PLEASE tell me you’re joking!”

Keeper looked closely at Bolt. “Why would I joke about such a terrible nightmare? And why are you so frightened all of a sudden?”

“I just woke up from a dream almost exactly like that one, Keeper. Something’s wrong.”

“It was just a dream, Bolt.” Keeper yawned. “It is somewhat suspect we both had the same nightmare at the same time, but it was probably because we’re alike enough that we often have similar nightmares, and it just happened to take place on the same night. But nonetheless, it was just a dream.”

“...I don’t know, Keeper. I think we should keep an eye out for this ‘Lucid Child’ person.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I guess.”

Bolt and Keeper walked out into the living room. Keeper got out a large lizard and ate it whole, causing Bolt to flinch slightly from revulsion.

“I think we should depart for Haven soon,” Keeper said.

“I think so too. Let’s go now.”

“Very well.”

Bolt ran up to Keeper, climbed his leg, and latched onto his back in the special sweet spot where his body fit in perfectly.

_I wonder if dragons evolved this section of their bodies as part of their symbiotic relationship with us back in ancient times?_

Keeper and his rider stepped out onto the street, and, after checking for other dragons and/or humans in his surroundings, he spread his wings and took off.

**-Four hours later-**

After a long, straight flight that took them over the ocean for a portion of the trip, they finally reached Haven.

They landed just outside the town. Bolt told Keeper to wait where they landed, and he crossed over a small bridge into the town. To Bolt’s relief, most of the people milling about didn’t look injured. Some buildings had been damaged, however. A caved-in roof here, busted windows there. What seemed to be a sort of primitive pop-up hospital had been erected nearby, with a relievingly low amount of humans being treated, and the worst injury he could see appeared to be a woman with a broken leg.

Bolt approached two men talking to each other. One had graying hair and a beard, the other looked quite young.

“We need to send a search party to find them!" The younger man said, "Moons know if they made it home safe; they could be in trouble!”

“We will, Calico, as soon as we ensure everyone in Haven is alright.”

Bolt reached the two of them. The older man bristled up upon seeing his brown scarf. “Ah, a representative of the Union Society. I am glad to see you care about us and not just the wealthy dragons who supply your town with everything it desires.”

Bolt frowned. “The Union Society isn’t about helping ‘wealthy dragons.’ We were _founded_ to ensure _humans_ just like you don’t get _eaten_ by dragons. Now… What can I do to help?”

The younger man barged in front of the elder. “There’s a woman and her child who live south of Haven; they were on their way home when the storm hit. No one wants to go look for them, but you totally can! Please go make sure they’re okay!”

“That’s terrible... Yes, I’ll go find them now! What direction did they go in?”

“If you take the south bridge out of town the trail will lead you straight to their house!”

“Got it. I’m on the case!”

The elder spoke: “Be warned, young man. That family… They’re not like other humans. There’s been rumors that the boy that woman harbors has supernatural abilities… Ones that he can seldom control.”

“I’ll be on my guard, sir, but nonetheless, if there’s humans in danger, it’s my job to save them! I’ll be off to find them now!” Bolt turned and left back towards the bridge.

“Humans in danger, _my_ job to save them!?” Bolt scolded himself as he walked, “That was a tackier line than a cheesy 20th Century superhero movie.”

Eventually Bolt reached the bridge, where Keeper was waiting nearby. “Well?” Keeper said, “Are the humans safe?”

“It seems like it, but supposedly a mom and her kid who live out-of-town got caught smack-dab in the middle of the storm. We’re going to go see if they’re alright.”

Keeper followed Bolt down the path. More forest debris littered the trail. Eventually their path got blocked by a gigantic tree that had been blown over the trail.

“Well, uh, my projector blade’s at home, so we’re going to need a way over this.”

“Hop on,” Keeper said. Bolt got on his back, and he flapped his wings and hovered over the trunk.

And what Bolt saw next made him gag.

“Oh my _God_ … Is that…?”

A woman’s dead body lay on the ground just beyond the fallen tree. Bolt jumped off Keeper’s back and ran up to the corpse. Streaks of dried blood caked her face, and her clothing was torn in places. The way her torso looked, with its deformed shape, it seemed as if the woman had been _squeezed_ to death.

“A storm couldn’t do this to a human…” Keeper said severely, “But a _dragon_ could.”

“That’s the kid’s _mother,_ Keeper! Oh my goodness, that poor child! We have to find him, _now!”_

“Bolt, something doesn’t make sense about this. This was most certainly a dragon attack… But if it was… Why wasn’t the victim eaten by the dragon?”

“We’ll worry about that later, Keeper; we have to look for her son!”

Bolt scrambled down the trail, Keeper trailing behind. Bolt frantically searched the sides of the trail for the woman's son, or God forbid…His remains. Eventually the forest opened into a clearing.

What awaited them was a sorry sight. Haven’s buildings had mostly survived the storm, but the house here definitely hadn’t. A tree had fallen onto the main house, completely crushing its roof. There were the remains of what seemed to be a small playground, containing a wooden horse fallen on its side and a slide that had one of its legs broken, causing it to tilt. A swingset had been hit by a thick branch of the fallen tree and it was completely buckled.

“That is one broken childhood,” Keeper said.

Bolt rushed up to the house, but Keeper dashed in front of him. “You are _not_ going in there. It’s structurally compromised; it could cave in at any moment and kill you!”

The unmistakable sound of a child sobbing wavered from inside the house.

“Like hell, Keeper! He’s in there; I’m going to go rescue him!”

Bolt rushed in through the busted door. Inside was a total wreck of a home. Parts of the tree punctured the ceiling, and cracks spread all over the walls. A table sat in the middle of the room, with two plates on it containing remains of bread and strawberries.

Bolt followed the sound of the crying into what seemed to be the child’s bedroom. A dresser sat on one side, while stormwater dripped from the cracked ceiling onto a colorful rug on the floor. And on the bed a little boy crouched, tears streaking his chubby cheeks. He looked like he had been crying all night.

The child looked up and stared at him, his eyes empty-looking. He looked like he had such a big hole in his heart that Bolt wondered if _anything_ would fill it again. He then realized…

_I’ve been here. Nineteen years ago... I had the same hole punched through_ my _soul._

_He needs a parent._

“Kid?” Bolt asked the child gently, “Come on, we need to get out of here, it’s not safe in here.”

“M-mommy…” The child sobbed.

Bolt walked up closer. “I saw your mommy… And I’m so sorry about what happened to her. But how about we go someplace safe?”

The child stood out of the bed, wobbling on his feet from sheer emotion. “I… I’m all alone…” He cried. He shakily stepped towards Bolt, his voice chirping with uncontrollable sobs.

Bolt right at that moment had powerful flashbacks of himself at that age, of being so terribly lonely that he felt as if he couldn’t go on living… And no child should have to feel like that.

Bolt crouched down to the boy’s level and spoke clearly: “Listen, child. You are _not_ alone. Do you know why?”

The boy rubbed tears from his eyes. “Why?” He croaked.

“Because I’m going to take care of you. I’ll make sure nothing ever hurts you.”

“L-Like… Like a daddy?”

“Yes, kid. Like a daddy. My name’s Bolt, what’s yours?”

“I… I’m Puff.”

“Well, Puff… Let’s get out of here, and get you someplace warm. We--”

_CRASH!!_

“Oh, fu--” Bolt cried.

The house around them began to come down.

“BOLT!!” Bolt heard Keeper roar from outside.

Puff began shivering with fear. He raised his trembling hands, and muttered something unintelligible…

And just before the ceiling caved in on them, the destruction came to an abrupt halt.

Puff raised his arms, almost as if he was lifting something big, and to Bolt’s shock, the tree on top of the house… Raised itself off the roof and pivoted upward… Then fell down in the opposite direction from the home. The house partially reformed back into the state it had been just before it collapsed, though the ceiling and walls still had huge cracks.

Puff dropped his arms and began panting, and Bolt could see that his left hand had a glowing mark on it, resembling a stylized flower.

_What the blip did this kid just do!?_

“Puff… What was that!?”

The boy became very sheepish, shuffling around. “Mommy said I shouldn’t show people that… But there wasn’t any other way… We were going to die…”

“Puff… Was that _magic?”_

“Y… Yes. Mommy said I can make ‘wishes’ and if I believe in them hard enough, they’ll come true.”

_Three freaking Moons… The child I just adopted has superpowers…_

The house began to creak loudly. They couldn’t stay here any longer.

“Come on, Puff! We need to get out of here!”

The child looked around his ruined bedroom, clearly hesitating.

_He doesn’t want to leave his old life behind…_

“Puff, I understand that this was your home, but it’s not safe here anymore! Come on, I’ll get you to a new home!”

Bolt held out his hand, and Puff took it. They began to dash through the collapsing living room, and out the front door. Just then, with a huge _crash,_ the house finally, completely collapsed.

Keeper stood outside, looking very relieved, but also confused. _No doubt he saw that tree take off_ _._

Puff, on the other hand… Looked up at the SandWing and promptly cried out in terror.

“Puff, it’s okay, he’s a friend!”

Puff raised his glowing hand and screamed.

“Puff, no!”

Keeper disappeared into a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, a human was standing in his place.

“W-what!?” Bolt shouted.

Keeper, in human form, had darkish olive-colored skin and blond hair matching the scales he used to have, which was an unusual combination. Thankfully whatever spell Puff cast gave him clothes too, in the form of rough beige pants and a white cotton shirt.

Keeper raised his hands to his face, his eyes very wide and shocked. He began to feel his face, his torso. Then he began shivering.

“Three Moons…” Keeper said in English, “This is terrible! I’m so… soft!”

Keeper stumbled up to Puff, unused to his new bipedal gait, looking like he was about to cry. “Change me back, _please!_ I can’t _STAND_ feeling this vulnerable!! Literally ANYTHING could kill me!!”

“Puff,” Bolt said sternly, “Turn him back. Now.”

“N-no! He’ll eat me!”

“Puff, he’s my friend! I _live_ with him; if he were going to eat us, he would have done it by now! Now turn him back!”

Keeper reached behind his back and felt his butt. “Why is my rear so squishy and oversized!?”

Puff burst out laughing. Bolt at that point became genuinely angry.

“Puff, NOW!! You wouldn’t like it if I turned _your_ best friend into a mouse, so _please,_ change him back!”

Puff trembled. “B-but…”

“He won’t eat you, Puff. I promise.”

Puff stared down at the ground. “Oh… Okay,” He raised his hand. “I want this human to turn back into a dragon!”

Keeper grew and morphed back into a SandWing. He felt his scales with his talon, stretched his wings, and let out a big sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Puff,” Keeper said in English, “Though I think that experience really makes me appreciate humans a lot more. Being able to carry on with life in such a constantly open-to-attack state… That has to take strength.”

_Sheesh, Keeper,_ Bolt thought, _We’re not_ that _delicate!_

“He can talk!?” Puff cried.

“All dragons can talk, Puff. They have their own language, and they can also learn ours. Where I live, humans and dragons live together and cooperate. It’s a wonderful city called Union where mammals and reptiles walk hand in talon. And if you’d like… You could live there with us.”

“But… But dragons…”

“The dragons in Union love humans, Puff. And we have a whole squad of humans and dragons that fight the human-eating dragons so that we can live without being afraid of getting gobbled up. It’s the safest place for humans in all of Pyrrhia.”

The boy teared up. “R-really?”

Bolt gently hugged Puff. “If any dragon so much as points their teeth at you, if Keeper doesn’t kill him… Then I’ll do it myself.”

Puff's eyes were set aglow with wonder. “You’ll fight a dragon for me?”

“Of course! I’ve done it lots of times.”

“You… You’re like a hero!” Puff shook excitedly. “My new daddy’s a hero!”

“That’s right, Puff! I’m your hero, and I’m going to make sure you grow up big and strong!”

_There I go again with the cheesy lines…_

Thankfully, Puff seemed to like that display. He teared up and hugged Bolt back.

“Thank you…” Puff sighed, letting his face fall onto Bolt’s shoulder.

Keeper looked on, his own eyes beginning to glisten with happiness watching this heartwarming scene play out.

_Well…_ Bolt thought, _Looks like I’m a father now._

_Am I ready for this?_


	3. Puff's New Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lots and lots of Puff in this chapter. Here we watch him leave behind his old life and settle into his new home in Union.

**Chapter Three: Puff’s New Home**

The dragon and two humans stood in the wreckage of Puff’s former home. Bolt noticed that the Puff kept glancing at Keeper, brow lowered and a pain in his expression,but whenever Puff looked at Bolt, his eyes, though still deep wells of sadness, had a tiny bit of light in them.

_I have a tall order to fill for this kid. I’m going to have to build up his trust in me… And in Keeper._

“Puff,” Bolt asked, “What kind of dragon killed your mom? Do you remember anything about him?”

Puff shook, he clearly didn’t want to recall the horrible scene from the night before. He let out a shaky breath, closed his eyes and forced the words out: “I-it was black… A black dragon. It was big enough to squeeze mommy in its claws…”

His voice trailed off and broke into a sob, and Bolt laid on hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay, he’s not here anymore.” Bolt paled as a detail didn’t quite fit. “Puff… What exactly did the dragon do _after_ he did that to your mommy? Where did he go?”

Puff’s cheeks puffed up in a fierce display of childish anger. “I made it go away. I wished it would disappear. Now it’s gone.”

Bolt frowned, hesitating on his words. “You… Killed him?”

Puff nodded. “That bastard deserved it.”

Bolt quickly covered the child’s mouth, then said: “Puff, where in the world did you learn that word!?”

Puff shoved Bolt’s hand away. “It’s what mommy called the dragon. She said ‘Stay away from my son, you bas--’”

Bolt put his hand over Puff’s lips again. “Puff, don’t use that word anymore.” He chuckled nervously, “It’s a really bad word.”

Bolt lifted his hand away from Puff’s mouth. “Oh, okay.”

“Bolt, if I may,” Keeper said in English, “We should probably take Puff’s mother’s body back to town for burial.”

Puff let out a primal hissing sound. “I won’t let you get anywhere _near_ mommy! You just wanna gobble her up!”

Keeper made a confused noise, as if he didn’t quite understand what Puff said.

“Puff,” Bolt said, "Keeper doesn't eat humans. He's my friend, and he just wants to help you give your mother a proper burial.”

“I swear on the Moons I will never harm you, Puff,” Keeper assured.

Puff looked up at Keeper. He stood still for a few seconds, chewing on an idea. Finally he took a step towards Keeper, stretching out his hand.

“Oh, Keeper, I think he wants to shake hands with you. Remember what we went over a few weeks ago?”

“Oh, right. The human non-verbal greeting.”

Keeper raised a talon, and Puff tentatively grabbed onto his claw. Keeper slowly moved his claw up and down, and eventually Puff returned the gesture.

“See, Puff?” Bolt coaxed the boy, “He’s a nice dragon.”

Puff still didn’t look convinced.

Bolt got an idea. “Okay, if that doesn’t make you believe he’s safe…” He waved his hand at Keeper. “Keeper, roll over!”

Keeper tilted his head at Bolt. “Uhh, Bolt…”

“Just do it, Keeper.”

“Whatever you say, ‘Goldie.’”

Keeper rolled onto his back, and to make himself look even sillier, he stuck his tongue out.

Puff’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped.

“Bark, Bark!” Keeper said.

Puff burst into laughter, his cold demeanor towards the dragon melting away into childish joy.

“Now, sit!” Puff shouted excitedly at Keeper.

“Huh?” Keeper said.

“Sit, Keeper!” Bolt repeated.

Keeper rolled back, and sat down on his rear.

“Well, Puff? Do you trust Keeper now?”

Puff stared up at the dragon. His eyes still showed fear, but after watching what he thought was a big, scary monster put on a hilarious show for him, it seemed that some of the stigma surrounding this particular dragon had been lifted.

“I’ve… Got a dragon daddy!”

“Yes, Puff!”

Puff ran up and hugged Keeper’s leg. “Hi, dragon daddy! I’m Puff!”

Keeper tilted his head. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Bolt tilted his own head. “Uhh, Keeper, what’s going on?”

“Bolt, normal adult human voices sound squeaky enough as it is… This child’s voice is so high-pitched… I can barely hear him, much less understand him.”

Puff took his hand away from Keeper’s talon, looking somewhat offended. “I have a very beautiful voice! Mommy said it made her happy hearing it!”

Bolt raised his hands, gesturing to him to calm down. “No one’s saying your voice doesn’t sound pretty, Puff. It’s just that dragons hear differently from us. It’s completely natural.”

“Well, if it’s like that…” Puff’s hand began to glow. “I want my voice to sound understandable to dragons!”

Nothing seemed to happen. Puff cleared his throat, then: “Can you understand me now?”

His voice didn’t sound any different to Bolt, but Keeper’s eyes widened. “He’s just like you now, Bolt! I can hear him speaking Dragon in my head! …Except he’s speaking in that weird accent humans have when they speak our language.”

“Well, it’s close enough. Anyway,” Bolt said, “Now that that’s over, we really should find a way to bury your mom, Puff. It wouldn’t be right to just leave her out in the open.”

Puff took on a determined grimace. “I wanna do it.”

Bolt gave the child a concerned expression. “Puff, that’s not something a kid should be doing; it’s too much work for your young body.”

“I’m going to do it,” Puff insisted.

He ran over to a shed, and pried open the door. He disappeared inside, then he soon emerged, struggling with a shovel that was almost taller than he was.

“Puff, are you sure?”

Puff didn’t respond, and he stomped forward; he appeared to pick out a spot for the grave, and he grunted as he stabbed the shovel into the dirt.

Thankfully the ground was still wet from the recent storm, so it wasn’t a terrible amount of work to penetrate the ground.

“Keeper, go get her body,” Bolt said as he stared in awe at the boy’s sheer determination. Keeper, without a word, departed for the trail.

_It’s almost unsettling how much like me he is,_ Bolt thought, _So determined in the face of unthinkable tragedy._ _Am I sure I’m not this kid’s biological father? Completely barring the fact that I’ve had no girlfriends, like,_ ever.  
  


A couple minutes later, Keeper returned, the body balanced on his back, which was completely stiff with rigor mortis.

Now that Bolt could get a better look at her body, it really hit Bolt how much seeing her like this would devastate Puff. Her dull, off-gray skin, the black blood-streaks caked on her face, and her misshapen, crushed ribs looked freakish, and to someone who clearly loved her with all his heart… Bolt could tell it would kill him inside to have to look at what his mother had become. 

Bolt, at least, never had to watch his parents decompose, they just got consumed on the spot. What Puff had to endure, in this way, was even worse.

_I wouldn’t ever want to see my mom and dad in this state…_

But nonetheless, it didn’t seem like Puff was going to give himself any way around this. He continued to dig her grave, burning off some reserves of energy, and clearly pushing his small, undeveloped body to its limits just to give his beloved parent a respectful goodbye.

Keeper clearly noticed this about Puff as well. “Is he going to be okay?”

“Just let him do this. I don’t think he’ll let me stop him.”

Puff continued to dig for more than an hour and a half, to the point where he was underground up to his shoulders. Bolt walked up to him and could see that he was panting hard, and his shirt was soaked in sweat.

“Puff, please. You’re working yourself too hard.”

Puff’s head jerked up to Bolt, and his eyes were shallow pits of desperation, tear streaks covering his cheeks.

“Puff… I don’t think your mother would want you to exhaust yourself to death for her sake.”

Puff growled. “You don’t know my mommy!”

“At least let someone help you. I’m serious, you’re going to hurt yourself.”

Puff stared at Bolt for a few seconds, then: “Fine.”

Bolt went into the shed Puff got his shovel from, and found a spare shovel. He walked over to Puff’s hole and began to help the boy dig the grave.

Eventually, the grave was deep enough. Bolt lifted Puff out of the hole, and climbed out himself. Keeper carried the woman’s body. Puff saw her, and said nothing as he laid her body into the hole.

Bolt looked down at her, and he didn’t know what to tell Puff. He thought that losing his own parents would make him an expert on orphan children, but seeing this woman’s corpse in a hole, the empty husk of Puff’s beloved mother, caused his mind to lock up, and he felt a small amount of bile rise up in his throat.

He had to say something. Anything.

“What was her name, Puff?”

Puff closed his eyes, holding back tears with all his strength. “C… Cascade.”

And at that point the boy’s wall broke, and he fell to his knees and began wailing. The symbol on his hand began to flicker, and Bolt and Keeper quickly stood back as his whole body began to glow.

“I JUST WANT HER BACK!!” Puff screamed, and he let loose a sheer-white beam of his power into the grave, into Cascade’s body. A copious amount of plant growth quickly surrounded her; flowers, weeds, and vines completely covered her corpse.

But she still didn’t awaken.

Puff stayed kneeling, his whole body shivering as he slowly let his magic peter out. Bolt stood firmly away from him, waiting for his magical outburst to subside before stepping up and he crouched down to his level, holding out his arms, beckoning him into a hug.

Puff obliged, and he buried himself in Bolt’s chest, tears soaking into Bolt’s shirt.

“Puff… I know I won’t ever replace your mother… But please understand… I’m never going to let anything hurt you like that dragon did.”

“I… I know. You’re my hero.”

Puff let go and stood up. He wiped his tears, solemnly raised his hand, and concentrated on the mound of dirt surrounding the hole.

Puff closed his eyes and looked away, before he whispered “bury her” to himself, and the mound of dirt rose up into the air, and settled down into the hole, completely covering the plants and the corpse. A large stone nearby then lifted off the ground and rested on top of the grave. Some words etched themselves into the stone.

CASCADE

MOMMY

When all that had finished, Puff lowered his hand, his arms shaking with exhaustion.

“What now?” Bolt asked Keeper as Puff stared at his mother’s new grave.

“We should go back to Haven and notify the humans of what happened here. Then I suppose we should return to Union and get Puff settled into his new home.”

“Sounds like a plan. Puff, wanna ride Keeper with me?”

Puff said nothing, then he slowly approached Keeper. His hand began glowing again, and Puff jumped easily several times his height into the air, causing Bolt to gasp. Thankfully, Puff landed safely on Keeper’s back. Bolt climbed up Keeper’s leg and joined him up there.

“Okay, Keeper, as gentle as you are with me normally, I need you to be even more careful than that.”

“Got it. Next stop, Haven!”

Keeper spread his wings and took off into the sky. Puff cried out in alarm, causing Bolt to grab onto his shoulders to steady him.

“I said _gentle,_ Keeper!”

“I’m being as gentle as I possibly can!”

Minutes later, Keeper landed in the town square, causing multiple humans to scream in terror; some ran, some stayed frozen in place. Bolt picked up Puff by his armpits and slid down off Keeper’s back with him, landing gently on the ground as he set Puff down.

Calico ran through the fleeing crowd up to them. He assessed the group.

“Oh, Puff! Thank goodness you’re okay! Where’s your mommy? Did she make it?”

Bolt stepped up to him. “No. She’s gone. A dragon killed her.”

Calico’s eyes widened, and his skin went pale as the horror of Puff’s loss dawned on him. “Oh… Oh Moons, Puff… I’m so sorry…”

Puff crossed his arms and looked away.

“Me and her were close too…” Calico continued, and he began to shed some tears of his own, “I’m going to miss her so much…” His eyes narrowed. “What happened to the dragon? I presume you’ll be going after it, hunting it down like you Union Society folks do with man-eating dragons?”

“That isn’t really what we do, sir. We try to educate dragons to not hurt humans; we don’t _hunt_ them unless we absolutely need to. But in any case, Puff beat us to it. He magicked that dragon to death, supposedly.”

Calico sneered. “Good riddance. What kind of heartless monster kills a human mother right in front of her kid?”

Bolt had flashes of his own past echo in his mind. “I agree. No child should have to see that.”

Calico paused, then looked at Keeper. “So this is him, eh? The dragon that took humans off the menu?”

“He sure is. I wish more humans would acknowledge that, rather than just run from him on sight.”

Calico put his hand on Keeper’s leg. “Well, I’m certain no one else here in Haven will say it, but I’m sure all of us truly appreciate what you’ve done for us. Thank you, Keeper.”

Keeper’s eyes softened. He spoke in Human, “You’re welcome. I’m glad you all get to live safely now.”

Calico’s head turned back to Bolt. “So, what’s your plan now? What are you going to do with Puff?”

“I’m adopting him. He’ll live with me in Union.”

“That’s really a commitment you’re making. I’m sure you’ve seen by now what that kid’s capable of; you sure you’re up to the task?”

“I don’t think there’s anyone here better suited for it.”

“Well, yeah, you’ve got a point there.” Calico walked up and put his hand on Bolt’s shoulder. “Take good care of him, Bolt. A kid like him… He needs the most top-notch parenting a human can provide.” Meanwhile, in the background Puff casually levitated up to Keeper's face and stuck his arm into his nostril, causing Keeper to quickly back away, leaving Puff’s arm covered in mucus and he shook it off.

“I’ll do my very best. He’s in good hands.”

“I’ll leave you to it then. Hey, if you ever need some fresh steak, I’ll be sure to extend the discount I was giving Cass to you now. You’ve earned it.”

“Thank you for the offer. I’ll be sure to stop by later.”

Bolt turned to Puff. “Alright, kid. You ready to go to your new home?”

Puff looked at Calico. His eyes focused with determination, and he took a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, and he jogged up to the man and handed it to him.

“Puff, what’s this, is this…?” He began reading the words on the paper. His eyes went very wide as he read it, and they began to water.

“Oh, Puff… You actually…”

“It was in her pocket…” Puff said, “I can’t read it, but I thought it had your name on it, so…”

Calico latched Puff into a deep hug. “Puff, thank you! Thank you so much!” He sobbed.

Bolt looked at Calico with a confused expression. “What’s on that paper, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“It’s… It’s a letter saying she agreed to take my hand in marriage…”

“Oh dear,” Keeper said, “That means…”

“Yeah, I know, fat lot of good that does me now, but still! All this time she actually loved me back!” Calico’s eyes shone, as he hugged the paper to his chest. “Oh Cass… You really did love me…”

“Hey,” Bolt said, “You doing okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Much better now. I’ve got my closure with her. You go on ahead, and make sure her son lives the best life he possibly can! It’s what Cass would want.”

“Very well. Puff?”

Puff jumped up onto Keeper again, and Bolt followed.

“Farewell, Keeper!” Calico shouted as he took off, “I’ll always welcome you here, even if the others won’t!”

\----------------------------------------------

-Outpost Manor, Union-

Keeper landed gently as he could in front of his house, and Bolt and Puff got off his back. Puff had gradually calmed down over the flight home, and he steadily carried himself towards his new home, as Bolt held his hand.

Puff’s head swiveled around at the house, the town… Clearly he was overwhelmed.

“Well, Puff? What do you think?”

“Everything’s so… Big!”

Bolt nodded. “Puff, as a Founder and a top-level member of the Union Society… Welcome to Union. Here, dragons and humans get along just fine. You won’t have to worry about getting eaten ever again!”

Keeper cleared his throat, apparently reminding him of the problem the town still had with the Talons of Power.

“Uhh, anyway, let’s get you inside.”

After Bolt and the others stepped inside, Puff took in the sights, his eyes widened… And his mouth broke open in a gigantic grin, and he took off, giggling, throughout the room. 

_I'm glad he's happy now. It took me way longer to feel anywhere near this normal after losing my biological family. I hope this "parenting" thing works out for me._

Bolt stiffened as Puff’s parade of excitement took him onto Keeper’s thick carpet, and just as he predicted, the boy tripped on the rug and fell flat onto his face, his laughter abruptly cutting out.

“Puff!” Bolt shouted with alarm, and he ran up to him.

Before Bolt could reach him, Puff rolled onto his back and resumed laughing, causing Bolt to breathe a sigh of relief.

“Puff,” Keeper said, “You probably haven’t eaten for a while. Can Bolt get you some food?”

Puff looked down at his belly and rubbed it. “Yeah, I’m kinda hungry.”

“On it,” Bolt said. He walked up to his kitchen, opened a cabinet, and began to sort through it.

“Ugh, I’m afraid to say, I don’t have much food here that a kid would like.”

Puff ran up the ramp into the kitchen. His eyes immediately went to the icebox. “What’s that?” he asked.

“It’s a special cabinet filled with ice that keeps food cold. That way it stays fresh longer.”

Puff opened the icebox. Inside were some pieces of deer from Bolt’s latest hunt, a whole frozen rabbit, and one thing that stood out from the rest: a package of ice cream that Bolt brought over from Terra. Of course, Puff’s attention was drawn to the ice cream due to its colorful packaging.

“What’s this?” Puff asked, and he took the carton out of the box.

Bolt realized what he was holding and groaned. “That’s ice cream, Puff. It’s a food from very far away. I’ll let you have some of it later, but for now, choose something more filling. Here, how about I make you a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich?”

“A what?”

“It’s what kids eat where I’m from. Give me a moment to make it.”

Bolt took out the ingredients he needed and within moments, he had what he hoped was a respectable PB&J laid out on a plate in front of the boy. Puff stared at the sandwich, then he lowered his nose to the sandwich and sniffed it.

“Go ahead and try it,” Bolt said.

Puff grabbed the sandwich and took a bite out of it. He chewed on it for a few seconds, then swallowed.

“Well, what do you think?”

“It’s okay, I guess.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. Here, try this too.”

Bolt took a package of vanilla pudding out of a cabinet and grabbed a spoon from a drawer.

“Is this another food from far away?”

“Yep.” Bolt peeled the lid off the pudding cup and set it in front of Puff.

Puff took the spoon in his hand and took in a bite of pudding. This time, his reaction was far more positive. His eyes sparkled and widened, and right away he began excitedly shoveling spoonfuls of pudding into his mouth.

“Wow,” Keeper said, “I guess he likes that one.”

In minutes the pudding was all gone. Puff sat down the spoon. “Can I have some more?” He asked.

“If you finish your sandwich I’ll get you another cup.”

“Oh, okay.”

Puff began eating the rest of the PB&J, seemingly motivated by the promise of more of his new favorite food. Soon it was gone too.

“Alright, Puff, you earned it.” Bolt tore off another cup from the package and handed it to him.

“Bolt,” Keeper said, “Your new son hasn’t even seen his bedroom yet, and you’ve already spoiled him on Terran junk food.”

Bolt sighed. “I just became this child’s guardian a few hours ago. Cut me some slack.”

Puff finished the second pudding cup. “More!” He delightedly demanded.

“Puff, no. I only have so much of this stuff, and I have to literally fly to another planet to get more. How about I show you your new room?”

“Aww… Okay!” Puff jumped to his feet and prepared to follow Bolt.

“Where exactly _is_ he going to sleep?” Keeper questioned Bolt.

“In the only spare bedroom we have. The guest bedroom on the second floor of the tower has a bed ready. It's too big for him but it’ll do for now.”

Bolt led Puff to the staircase.

“Is this a castle?” Puff asked, the curiosity in his voice apparent as he observed the spiral stairwell.

“Not really, but if you want to think of it as that, it’s okay. Your room’s on the second floor. If you need me for any reason, I’ll be just a flight of stairs above you.”

They reached the second floor, and Bolt pointed to the door, gesturing to Puff to open it. The doorknob was a little high for Puff, but still within his reach.

Inside was, well, a guest bedroom. There wasn’t any real décor in here, and the only furnishings were a full-sized bed, an electric lamp, and a rug on the floor. There wasn’t even a dresser, as Bolt was still building it in his room upstairs. He had been procrastinating on it because it wasn’t a high priority, but now that this room had a permanent resident, he would have to get working on finishing it right away.

“So, uh, this is your room, Puff.” Bolt turned on the light.

Puff stared at the lamp. “Is that magic?”

“No, not really. It’s a machine from far away. So, what do you think of your new room?”

“It’s huge!” Puff shouted excitedly. He began sprinting around the room, and he flopped down on his bed. “This bed! It’s so soft!” He began tunneling through the blankets, quickly disappearing underneath them.

“I’m glad you like it. I’m going to have to get some stuff for this room; a dresser, maybe a toybox?”

Puff’s head popped out from underneath the blanket at the foot of the bed. “Toys?”

“Yeah. Kids have to have toys. They're essential to a healthy childhood.”

Puff laughed. “You talk a lot of stuff.”

Bolt let out a deep, hearty laugh not unlike the one his own father used to do. “Yeah, I guess I do.”

Puff yawned, and his arm pushed out of the blanket and he rubbed his cheek.

“You getting tired?” Bolt asked.

Puff yawned again. “Uh-huh.”

Puff climbed out of bed and waddled over to the window. He stared out at the view from the window. Bolt walked over and looked out with him.

The Sun had just set outside, and the lights were beginning to turn on around town. Even from halfway up the tower, one could still get an impressive view of Union. The tall buildings of the Communal District were just nearby, and the smaller houses of the Human Half dotted the landscape in the distance.

“It’s a good view, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. The town’s so big and beautiful…”

“I worked very hard to make this place happen. Here, humans and dragons are friends. It means so much to me to see a view like this every time I wake up.”

Puff yawned again.

“Alright, sleepyhead. Let’s get you to bed.”

Bolt held his new son’s hand as they approached the bed. It was way too large for Puff, but the boy seemed to like it so much that Bolt felt like he shouldn’t make him a smaller one.

With Puff tucked into bed, Bolt prepared to turn and leave.

“Bolt, could you tell me a bedtime story?”

Bolt sighed. He figured he might be asked that sometime. There weren't too many child-friendly bedtime stories he knew… There was always the story of his own life, but he felt like it would remind Puff too much of his loss yesterday to tell that one. But at the same time, it could show him that even after a loss like that he could still live on.

“Alright, Puff.” Bolt walked up and sat down on the edge of Puff’s bed. Bolt took a deep breath.

“Once upon a time, there was a boy, about your age. He lived with his family in the woods not too far from here. He went to school, made many friends, and played in the forest every day. But one day, a group of three dragons descended on his village, and ate up everyone but him.”

Puff gasped, and Bolt worried he had gone too far.

“What happened next?” Puff asked, and Bolt decided he could continue.

“He felt so lonely… All his friends and family were gone… But the boy was determined. He set out on an adventure. He lived his life to the fullest. He hunted deer, he started a farm, and all along he showed the dragons that even an itty-bitty human boy can defy the odds and survive. He became a legend among them, the boy of the forest who felled a gigantic bull with his little bow and arrow.”

“Where is he now?” Puff asked.

“He’s still living, and surviving, and showing the dragons just how big of a deal a little human can be.”

Puff yawned again, his eyes beginning to shut.

“Good night, Puff.”

Puff yawned once more. “Good night, Bolt…” Puff closed his eyes.

Bolt stood up out of the bed, and walked over and shut off the light. He left the room and went downstairs. Keeper was sitting at the desk in the living room, writing in his journal.

“Puff’s asleep,” Bolt told Keeper.

“He’s had a long day,” Keeper replied, “It’s good that he’s getting some rest.”

“Tomorrow I think we should introduce him to the rest of the Union Council, then we can get him enrolled in school.”

“That quickly? Bolt, he just got here.”

“I know… But I want Puff to get all the things I missed out on… A good education… A support structure… I want him to have a normal childhood.”

“Bolt, Puff isn’t a ‘normal’ child. He’s an animus.”

“A what?”

“Dragons with magic abilities, we call animi. They have a long history of causing problems in dragon society… They spiraled into madness with their powers, and caused untold harm. Many dragons still fear the latest animus dragon to pose a threat to Pyrrhia… Darkstalker was his name.”

“Yeah, I think I heard of him. He was that overgrown NightWing hybrid, right? I heard about him from some humans about a year before I met you. He blew up a whole mountain.”

“I think we should be very careful with Puff. We don’t know anything about the nature of his powers… Or what happens if he uses them too much.”

“I guess you’re right… But that’s still no reason to deny him an education. We can discuss it with the Council tomorrow.”

“Agreed. I’m going to go to sleep.”

“Alright, Keeper, good night. I’m going to go up to my room and finish the dresser I was building for Puff’s room.”

Keeper went into his bedroom, and Bolt walked upstairs to his own room. He took up his tools and in an hour he finished the final piece of the dresser that would now belong to Puff. He set aside the dresser to bring downstairs tomorrow, then he changed into pajamas and slid into his bed. Sleep came soon afterward.


	4. How Not to Find a Killer 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolt, Keeper, and Puff attempt to find out who killed Puff's mother, and end up finding out that the truth of the matter is much deeper than they originally thought. Back in Union, three SkyWing dragonets have a plan to befriend Walnut.

**Chapter Four: How Not To Find a Killer 101**

**  
  
**

“Boooolllllt!!” A child’s voice shouted playfully, followed by rhythmic shaking which woke up Bolt.

Bolt opened his eyes to find that Puff was jumping on his bed. It took him awhile to figure out that the child was his own, and that the boy was likely not going to stop shouting and jumping until he woke up. Thankfully Puff was lightweight enough that his abuse wasn’t damaging the luxurious sleeping structure he worked hard on, but Bolt was still hoping he’d stop if he showed he was awake.

“Alright, Puff, I’m awa—UGH!!” 

Bolt lost the air in his lungs when Puff, with his entire weight, crashed shoulder-first into Bolt’s chest, and his elbow jabbed into his gut. The boy’s high-pitched giggling warmed Bolt’s heart, though it also ached a little from getting punched by Puff’s sharp shoulder blades.

“Alright, kid, let’s get you some breakfast.” Bolt lifted Puff off of his bed, and soon got on his own feet.

Puff, of course, reached the ground floor first, as he had been full-on sprinting down the stairs. Bolt took a more leisurely pace down the tower.

“AAAAHHHHH!!!” Puff’s terrified scream pierced up the stairs, and Bolt quickly started sprinting down himself, his paternal instincts kicking in.

Bolt burst into the living room, and found that Puff was cowering at the feet of a NightWing Bolt quickly identified as Nightcrawler. No doubt Puff was mistaking his security chief for the dragon that killed his mom, and he probably had a few seconds before Puff started throwing spells of varying levels of lethality at him.

“Puff, it’s okay, he’s friendly!” 

Bolt quickly stepped between Puff and Nightcrawler.

“I was not aware humans could reproduce without a mate,” Nightcrawler remarked.

Bolt turned to him. “We can’t. He’s adopted.”

“What?”

“He’s the child of another human, a human no longer with us.”

“You elected to raise an orphan? Bolt, how noble of you.”

“Yeah, thanks, but could you stand back? You’re scaring him.”

“Of course, Founder.” Nightcrawler took a few steps backward.

Bolt turned back to Puff, whose hand-mark was steadily glowing. “Puff, this is Nightcrawler. He won’t hurt you.”

Puff slowly lowered his hand. “H-he won’t?”

“On the contrary. He’s the main dragon here who ensures humans get to live safely. If any dragon tries to hurt you, _he_ will be the one to make sure that dragon gets punished.”

“It is nice to meet you, Puff,” Nightcrawler said in English.

“H-hi, Nightcrawler.”

“It’s actually good you’re here, Crawler,” Bolt said, “I need to talk to you about what happened to this boy.”

Nightcrawler sat down at the table. Bolt walked up the ramp to his level.

“Why do I get the feeling you and that boy have more in common than I originally thought?”

“He’s a dragon attack victim.”

“I figured. Though it is remarkable he emerged unscathed.”

“That’s mostly because of his powers.”

Nightcrawler’s head tilted. “His… Powers…?”

Bolt took in a deep breath. “Puff’s an animus.” He flatly declared.

Nightcrawler jumped to his feet and scrambled backward, suddenly examining Puff as if he was an armed hydrogen warhead about to go off. “You brought an _animus_ into Union!?!? Bolt, do you have _any_ idea how much of a danger that cub poses!?”

“What the blip was I supposed to do, leave him to die of grief in the ruins of his house!? He needed a parent, Nightcrawler… And I chose to fill that role for him.”

“Bolt, at any moment that human could lose control of himself and murder you, Keeper, and Moons know who else.”

“He’s a _kid,_ Nightcrawler. He can’t be older than five years, that’s _very_ young by our standards, he hasn’t even lost all his milk teeth yet, and I beg of you, he _needs_ me to take care of him!”

Puff watched the argument between Bolt and Nightcrawler with an air of concern. He ran up the ramp next to Bolt. He widened up his eyes and put on a spectacular “cutesy” display much like the one Bolt used to use to make dragons feel sorry for him, though Puff was _far_ more suited for it. “I promise I won’t hurt anyone, Nightcuwaler!” It seemed as if Puff intentionally mis-pronounced the NightWing’s name that way just to make himself even more irresistible.

_Damn, he’s good at this,_ Bolt thought.

Nightcrawler’s expression reluctantly changed to extreme sympathy. Clearly he was finding it damn near impossible to refuse someone that incredibly adorable. A child’s charm, one that said child actually _knows_ how to use, is nothing to scoff at.

_He better not try that tactic with me or Keeper every time he wants something. We’d end up spoiling him rotten._

“F… Fine,” Nightcrawler stammered, “Shelter the boy. But please ensure he exercises the utmost care with his magic.”

“We will. Now, what I originally wanted to discuss with you… His mother was killed by a dragon. By Puff’s account of the attack it was a NightWing that perpetrated the assault.”

“So you are asking me if I know any NightWings who would attack a human?”

“I would suppose so. You moved here from the rainforest, and way before that you lived on the volcano. You’ve been with the NightWings for your whole life.”

“I will put it simply, no, none of the dragons I know would kill a human, at least not in the present day. In the days we lived in the mountain of fire we would seek out and eradicate human settlements… But only because we desired the SandWing treasure your kind stole. Most of us would not attack humans without reason… You have far too little meat on your bones to justify the effort of hunting you.”

Bolt frowned. “A-hem, you’re forgetting--”

“Yes, I’m very well-aware of the dragons who find what little meat you have to be a delicacy. And no, no NightWing I have ever known has that perverted preference.”

Keeper, who had been listening to the conversation, spoke: “If I may, Nightcrawler, Puff’s mother was not eaten by the dragon. She was merely… Crushed.”

Nightcrawler turned to Keeper. “So you accuse a member of my tribe of _wastefully_ killing a human, _with her offspring present,_ for no apparent reason?”

“We’re not accusing your tribe as a whole of anything,” Bolt assured, “But there’s only one tribe with black scales, and the boy made it very clear what color the killer was. There was a rogue among you. He’s gone now, Puff saw to that, but I’d at least like to get an idea of _who_ exactly that dragon was.”

“What concerns me is the apparent lack of a motive,” Keeper said, “Nightcrawler’s right, no dragon of sound mind would kill _anything_ without a reason.”

“In that case,” Nightcrawler finished, “I have no information to give you. I would suggest you seek an audience with Queen Glory in the Rainforest Kingdom.

“After we have our breakfast, we’ll depart for the RainWing village right away.”

  
  


**-RainWing Village, Rainforest Kingdom-**

Keeper landed softly in the underbrush, after narrowly avoiding getting his riders caught on branches on the way down.

“Bolt,” Keeper advised, “I think you and Puff should stay on my back until we get to the village. There’s a lot of plants and animals around here that would be dangerous for you.”

“Yeah, I learned that lesson the last time I came here.”

Keeper turned his head to look at Bolt. “You’ve been here before?”

“I’ve been everywhere. I had my whole childhood to explore this continent. That’s kind of why I decided to move in with you all those years ago. I’d seen everything, and it was starting to get boring, so I decided to give life with a dragon a shot.”

Puff looked with wide eyes at his guardian. “You were an explorer?”

Bolt ruffled Puff’s hair. “Sure was. Though I will say I kinda vowed to myself I’d never set foot in this rainforest again.”

Puff tried to correct his hair, and failed. “Why? What happened?”

“Exactly what you’d think would happen. I almost got killed several times over. Snakes, poison plants, tigers. This is the only place in Pyrrhia where the local dragon tribe didn’t try to hurt humans back then… But everything else _did._ ”

“Wow… But Keeper will protect us from all that, right?”

“Yes,” Keeper said as he stomped through the brush, “I will.”

“All aboard the Keeper Express, with precious cargo bound for the RainWing Village,” Bolt said, and Keeper snorted with laughter.

“I like you, Bolt. Out of all the humans I’ve met, your wit is a light in this world. And I mean that."

“Aww, thanks, Keeper!”

Keeper continued through the rainforest, until he finally came across the village. Bolt looked around in awe. He had never gotten this far into the forest on his own. High above him were numerous treehouses, and he could see RainWings flitting about, many resting in the canopy, sunning themselves.

“Whoa…” Puff breathed. Clearly he was overtaken with wonder as well.

“Hold on tight,” Keeper said, and he spread his wings and carefully flew up to the vine bridges connecting the treehouses.

Right away Keeper and his riders were awash in RainWings.

“Sunny sloths, are those scavengers!?”

“Aww, they’re so cute!”

“I think that one’s a cub! So adorable!”

“Everyone, back away!” Keeper shouted, and for good reason. Puff was shivering with fear, and the last thing they needed was a whole crowd of RainWings transformed into humans.

A few of the RainWings looked offended. “We just wanted to give your scavvies a warm welcome…”

Bolt felt bad for them.

“We appreciate your welcome,” Keeper said, “But the child here gets very nervous around dragons he doesn’t know. His mother was… Killed by one.”

“Aww, that poor cub!”

“In any case,” Keeper spoke, “We need an audience with Queen Glory. Could you take us to her?”

“Of course!” A RainWing with blue scales approached them, “I’m Bullfrog, one of this village’s healers.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Bolt addressed Bullfrog in Dragon, causing his scales to suddenly jump around in color. 

“Three moons! He speaks our language! How does he do that?”

Keeper snorted. “Same as I speak his,” He switched to Human, “Isn’t that right, Bolt?”

“Wow!” a RainWing bystander shouted, “You sound just like a scavvie!”

“Haven’t you guys heard of the Union Society?” Bolt asked in Dragon.

“Uni-what?” Bullfrog asked.

A mostly green RainWing stepped forth. “You’ll have to excuse my subjects. They don’t exactly stay up to date on current events.”

“You must be Queen Glory,” Keeper said, “We’ve been looking for you.”

“Yeah, that’s me, Queen of the RainWings and NightWings.”

“That sounds like a lot of work!” Puff said.

“Why, yes, it is! What a thoughtful little scavenger cub you are!”

Puff blushed.

“Anyway,” Glory said, “Why don’t we go to the royal pavilion? That way this audience can be a little more official. Follow me.”

Glory led Keeper and the humans through the elevated village towards a large platform high above the ground. Puff continued to keep his head on a swivel.

When they went inside the pavilion, the two humans looked with amazed faces at the flowers hanging from vines on the ceiling, and Puff quickly swiped one off, and Bolt gave the boy a stern look, replacing the flower.

And that was when they noticed the NightWing standing on a podium on the other side of the pavilion.

Puff’s and the NightWing’s eyes locked, both sets of eyes widened… And both the human and dragon erupted in terrified screams.

“Deathbringer, enough, they’re guests!” Glory dashed up to the NightWing and glared at him.

Deathbringer and Puff stopped screaming, though Puff began taking deep breaths, almost hyperventilating. Their eyes continued to stay locked on each other.

“You’ll have to excuse my friend here. He’s really jumpy around your kind.”

“No problem,” Bolt said in Dragon.

“Oh, no, not _another_ one of you!” Deathbringer lamented, “Can _all_ scavengers speak Dragon now!?”

“Not all, but we’re getting close. Please don’t be afraid of us, we mean no harm.”

_Hopefully Puff gets the memo and doesn’t try anything funny with him._

“Anyway,” Glory said, “You said you wanted an audience with me? Have at it.”

Bolt slid off of Keeper’s back with Puff in his arms. “Your majesty, this is Puff. I recently adopted him, because his mother was killed by a dragon.”

“Moons, that’s not good. I’m sorry for your loss, Puff.”

“Well, uh, I don’t know how to word this… But his mother’s killer was a NightWing. We’d like to know if any of your subjects might have harbored any hostility towards humans.”

“Oh… Well, I don’t know the intentions of every NightWing under my rule… Do you know about a motive? Was she killed for food, or…?”

“We don’t know why she was killed,” Keeper said, “We found her decaying in the forest to the northeast of the SkyWing palace. Her ribs had been crushed in the NightWing’s talons, and he would have killed Puff too if…” Keeper suddenly stopped himself.

“...If what, SandWing?”

Puff raised his hand, and before Bolt could stop him, he whispered something, and suddenly the flowers in the pavilion began to rapidly multiply at a breakneck pace, quickly covering the area in growth.

Glory’s eyes widened with surprise, and Deathbringer scrambled back, getting as far as he could from Puff.

“T-that scavenger… He’s an _animus!?”_ Glory had lost all her poise and looked like she was about to run straight out of the pavilion.

Bolt facepalmed. “So… I think the better question is… Are there any NightWings _missing_ from the village?”

“Three moons… He _killed_ a dragon!?”

“He was scared, your majesty! He just watched his mother get crushed right in front of him, and he knew that if he didn’t do something, _he_ would’ve been next. He was acting in self-defense, and I promise you that he won’t hurt you.”

Glory slowly regained her composure. “Well, unfortunately, I don’t know any NightWings who’ve disappeared lately. I’d suggest asking around the NightWing village.”

“Thank you, your majesty,” Keeper said, and he quickly plopped Puff and Bolt onto his back and briskly walked out of the pavilion, which was now seventy-five percent more flowery.

“Bolt, you need to keep Puff on a tighter reign with his magic,” Keeper scolded as he descended towards the ground.

“I’m trying,” Bolt replied, “But he doesn’t give much of a warning before doing it!”

“I’m sorry,” Puff apologized, “I just wanted to show them I had magic in a pretty way. Those flowers were so colorful…”

“Puff, a lot of dragons are very afraid of magic… Because there was once a dragon who did very bad things with it.”

“I’ll be more careful then…”

Keeper stepped into the NightWing village with his two human friends astride his back. NightWings were everywhere.

_Uh-oh,_ Bolt thought, _I should probably make sure Puff stays calm._

He couldn’t see Puff’s face very well, since the boy was riding in front of him, but his stiff positioning on the dragon’s back made it clear he was in a very heightened state of alert. Thankfully, his hand showed no signs of glowing, meaning he was heeding Bolt’s warning about keeping his magic in check.

“Excuse me,” Keeper asked a female NightWing, “Is there a leader amongst you I can talk to?”

“If you’re here to offload your pets with us, I’m afraid we don’t do scavvie day-care here.”

Bolt immediately tamped down an angry curse-laden shout in Dragon directed at the NightWing. _Not in front of the kid, Bolt._

“These aren’t my pets,” Keeper said, seemingly trying to hide his own anger, “Could you just tell us who has the most standing among you?”

“If you’re going to eat them, do it somewhere private.”

_That’s IT._

“Okay, see **HERE** , you little--” Bolt proceeded to let loose a litany of growls and roars that had no translation into English. Puff tilted his head in confusion, showing that his translator enchantment was not working on the words Bolt was saying.

The NightWing’s eyes went as wide as they could possibly go, and she began to take a couple steps backward. As Bolt continued to scream draconic expletives at her, Keeper attempted to drown him out by asking “Just tell us where your leader is so I can get him away from you.”

“H-he’s in that tent over there!” She pointed at a large cloth tent, then took off running towards a hut in the distance. Eventually Bolt stopped swearing.

“Bolt?” Puff asked with a somewhat scared and curious tone of voice, “What was that?”

Bolt’s red face quickly turned a few shades whiter. “Oh… Heh, sorry, Puff. Don’t repeat anything of what I just said.”

Keeper turned his head towards Bolt. “I don’t remember teaching you _any_ of those words.”

“I picked them off of a few potty-mouthed enforcement squad officers over the past few years.”

Keeper scoffed. “I’ll have to remind Nightcrawler to keep his troops at a human-friendly language level.”

“Hey, Union’s safe for humans; it doesn’t necessarily have to be safe for work. Let’s find that NightWing.”

Keeper entered the tent. Inside was an elderly NightWing, tending to a scroll.

“Excuse me, sir?” Keeper asked him.

The NightWing looked up from his work. “Judging by the humans on your back, I presume you’re from Union?”

“Thank you!!” Bolt shouted at him in Dragon, “You’re like, the first dragon besides Glory we’ve met here who knows about us!”

Keeper shushed Bolt, and continued. “Yes, we’re from Union. We’d like to ask you a question.”

“Well, I certainly have time. I am Earthshaker. You probably know my son, Nightcrawler.”

“Wait, you’re his dad!?” Bolt and Keeper blurted out in unison.

“Yes. I did not approve of him running off to your settlement before we had even finished settling in here. How is he, if I may ask?”

Keeper stood up straighter, almost causing Bolt’s head to bump against the ceiling. “He holds a position of high honor among us. He’s saved so many lives as the chief of our peacekeeping forces.

“Many _human_ lives, I would presume is your meaning?”

“Well… Yes.”

Bolt began to get a bad feeling about this dragon’s opinion on humanity.

“Well, I am glad you appreciate his protective spirit. Back in our old home he was a very outspoken critic of our practices. He especially hated the campaign our late Queen was running against the humans to find the treasure they lifted off the SandWings. He even snuck his way into a human den to evacuate all its residents before one of our troops showed up to burn it.”

Bolt stiffened with pride. _Wow, so Nightcrawler was helping to save human lives years before he joined us. A Union Society member through and through. We made a good decision making him the chief of the Enforcement Squad. Though I can say I don’t think his father’s cut from the same cloth._

“Anyway,” Keeper said, “We wanted to ask you if there were any disappearances from this village recently?”

Earthshaker quickly went rock-stiff. Clearly Keeper had struck a nerve.

“I’m sorry,” Earthshaker said, “ _Disappearances?”_

A human was killed by a NightWing northeast of the SkyWing palace… And the same dragon was dispatched by the human’s son moments later.”

The NightWing stared at Keeper, then at Bolt. Then… At Puff. 

His purple eyes narrowed.

“Tell me, SandWing… Do you believe humans have a capacity for magic?”

Bolt paled. _Oh, shit._

Keeper tilted his head. “I’m sorry?”

“Some dragons have the ability to enchant the world around them… Since humans are so much like us… Do you think that they share this power in their lineage?”

Puff was shivering nervously.

_I don’t like this one bit. He knows more than he’s letting on._

“Keeper? I think we should go.”

“What’s wrong, little one? Got somewhere to be?”

“I just remembered… That my garden’s on fire! Come on, Keeper, let’s go put it out!”

Earthshaker stared awkwardly at Bolt. “That has to be the most idiotic excuse I have ever heard.”

“Keeper, let’s go, NOW!”

With a great roar, Earthshaker launched forward for Keeper’s back, his claws stretched for Puff’s neck. In the nick of time, Bolt hugged Puff and rolled off of Keeper on the opposite side of the oncoming dragon, landing on his back and allowing his own body to break Puff’s fall. Earthshaker crashed on top of the SandWing a heartbeat later, his greater weight forcing Keeper to the ground.

Keeper’s tail barb jerked towards Earthshaker, but to Bolt’s horror, he caught it mid-sting by the shaft of his tail.

“That child is a menace, human! Surrender him at once!”

Puff quivered in Bolt’s arms. “Puff, I know I told you to watch your magic… But now would be a _really_ good time to lose that control!”

Puff’s teary-eyed face quickly gained composure… And he grinned and raised his hand towards the dragon.

“You said you wanted magic? Well **here it is!!** I want this dragon to _go away!!”_

_POFF!!_

The NightWing disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Bolt and Keeper took a deep breath. Puff began shivering again… Then settled down.

“Well, that’s that,” Bolt said, “He’s go--”

**_CRASH!!!!_ **

The tent abruptly collapsed, and Keeper just barely had time to shelter the two humans beneath his body. They crawled out, and immediately realized where Earthshaker had gone. 

He hadn’t been erased.

He’d been teleported, several hundred feet into the air.

Earthshaker glared murderously at the three of them as he tried to get back on his feet. “That cub… Give it to me…”

“What the blip is wrong with this dragon!?” Bolt shouted, “Why does he want to kill a _kid!?”_

“This is beyond any of you…” Earthshaker moaned, still struggling to stand, and Bolt realized that his leg was broken. A small crowd of NightWings began to gather, some glaring at Keeper.

“Keeper, come on, let’s get out of here!”

“I agree!” Keeper shouted, and he threw Bolt and Puff onto his back and took off for the treetops in an instant.

**-The Skies above the Rainforest Kingdom-**

“Keeper, what the hell just happened!?”

“I don’t know, but I’m going to have a _very_ stern talk with Nightcrawler about his idea to send us here!”

“Should we tell Glory what happened?”

“No. I want to get as far away from that maniac as we can!”

“Puff, are you okay?”

Puff looked back at Bolt. “Uh, huh.” He appeared shaken, but he didn’t have a scratch on him.

Bolt hugged him. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. We’re going to go home and I’ll feed you all the vanilla pudding I have. You’ve earned it.”

**-Union-**

Keeper quickly shut the door behind him and set in its deadbolt. “I’m going to go get Nightcrawler. Take Puff up to his room; I don’t trust that NightWing around him anymore.”

Bolt was busy setting an entire package of vanilla pudding cups in front of Puff’s shining face. “Don’t blame him for what his father did, Keeper. We know Nightcrawler, he wouldn’t ever try to hurt a child.”

“He’s a _NightWing,_ Bolt! Their entire recent history is built around deception!”

“Keeper, I can’t believe I just heard you say that! That was so… Insensitive! He’s our friend!”

Keeper took a deep breath. “I’m sorry… Just please, at least take a precaution and put Puff where dragons won’t be able to reach him.”

“...Okay, fine. Puff? Let’s go up to your room and you can have your pudding there.”

Bolt took Puff’s hand and led him upstairs. A few minutes later, he came back down to find Keeper had already left to fetch Nightcrawler.

_Earthshaker knew… He actually_ recognized _Puff. He was in league with the dragon that killed Cascade… And thus the plot thickens._

“Bolt? Puff’s voice called from the door, “I spilled some pudding on my bed!”

“Just leave it for now, Puff. Go back upstairs; I’ll come clean it up later!”

He heard Puff’s feet pitter-pattering up the stairs, and just then, the door burst open, and Nightcrawler rushed in, Keeper close behind.

“Is he okay!?” Nightcrawler blurted.

“Yes, he’s fine,” Bolt said.

Keeper shut the door. “You have some explaining to do. Why did you send us to a place where someone like _him_ lurked around!?”

“I didn’t think you would run into my father! He usually stays secluded in his tent!”

Bolt facepalmed. “And we just walked right in… You said you didn’t know any NightWings who would hurt humans!”

“I’m sorry, Bolt… I didn’t want you to lose faith in me by extension of my father.”

“Well you failed in that regard! You nearly got us killed by not warning us about him!”

“Tell us everything you know about your dad,” Keeper demanded, “Leave _nothing_ out.”

Nightcrawler sighed, and sat down. “My father, Earthshaker… Didn’t tell me anything of his own life. It was obvious he was hiding things from me for as long as I knew him. He seemed to have an odd hatred for humans, something he usually kept inside. But I knew where he stood that one fateful night when I was a dragonet.”

“What happened?” Bolt asked.

“He brought home a whole village of humans. Dozens of innocent people in a big cage. He spoke their language… Demanding something from them. When they refused… He ate them… One by one, men, women, and children. I _still_ hear their plaintive cries in my nightmares. From then on… I vowed to protect any human I found. It is the reason why I became your chief peacekeeper. I _never_ want to see a helpless human get abused like that ever again.”

Nightcrawler turned to Keeper. “You probably suspect me of being in cahoots with my father. I want you to know that I harbor _no_ feelings of relation to that _monster._ That he seeded me is only something I am indifferent to. We are _nothing_ alike.”

“You said he was demanding something from the humans… Keeper, do you think…?”

“He was looking for magic-capable humans,” Keeper said, “Humans like Puff.”

“Nightcrawler, do you know of any NightWings your dad would frequently meet with? Any friends, business partners?”

“There is one. I only saw him a few times… But he would always have the smell of human blood on him. His name… Was Preyseeker.”

“That’s gotta be him, Keeper. The dragon that killed Puff’s mom. Preyseeker! Just that name suggests he does terrible things.”

“But we don’t need to worry about him anymore, Bolt. Puff killed him!”

“Keeper…” Bolt breathed, “What if he _didn’t?”_

Keeper tilted his head. “Huh?”

“You saw what Puff’s magic did to Earthshaker. All it did was warp him away for a little bit. If Puff used the same spell on Preyseeker…”

“Then he may still be at large,” Nightcrawler finished. “I will put the Enforcement Squad on high alert. That boy’s protection will be our top priority.”

“See to it,” Keeper said.

Nightcrawler left immediately.

“Bolt,” Keeper said, “What have we gotten ourselves into?”

“I don’t know… But what I do know… Is that we need to make sure nothing hurts that poor child. I can’t fail him… Not after I promised to protect him.”

“Perhaps you should shelter him on Earth until the NightWings are apprehended.”

“No, Keeper, that’s a terrible idea! The second Puff lets his magic loose there the Terrans will be all over him trying to run experiments! Union is the best place for him right now.”

“Very well. In the meantime, we should call an emergency Council meeting, and get the rest of them up to speed on what’s happening with our new family member.”

“Of course.”

The human door burst open. “Founder Bolt, you have to help me!!” A woman’s voice shouted. Bolt turned around and found that Chestnut was there.

“What’s going on, ma’am? We’re kind of busy.”

“It’s Walnut! He’s being harassed by Mountain Dragons!”

Bolt went pale and stiff. “Three moons! Lead the way, Chestnut!” He grabbed a projector blade off of a rack next to the door.

**-Memorial Square-**

**“MAMAAAA!!!”** Walnut’s scream could be heard from a whole block away.

Bolt sprinted through the square in the Communal District containing the memorial to Outpost Village, following Walnut’s screams to a wide dead-end alley between two tall buildings. A group of three young SkyWings crammed into the space, and just between their wings Bolt could see a pile of human-scale plush animals, at the center of which lay Walnut curled into a wildly shivering ball.

“HEY!!” Bolt shouted as he brandished his un-activated projector blade, “Leave that kid alone!”

The SkyWings turned around, fear etched on their faces, clearly noticing his drawn weapon. “F-Founder! This isn’t what it looks like!” One of them, a dragonet with red-orange scales, stammered.

“Get away from that child, NOW.”

The dragonets began to back away from Walnut.

An orange dragonet said, “Bolt, please, we weren’t going to hurt him!”

“Yeah, just look at all the gifts we got him!” A red one said.

Bolt’s angered mind stopped dead in its tracks. _Hold up… Gifts?_

Bolt once again noticed the many plush animals surrounding Walnut, who had his rabbit hat pulled over his face.

Bolt lowered his weapon. “Okay… So what exactly _are_ you dragonets trying to do with this boy? Because you have to admit, this looks _really_ bad from a certain perspective.”

“We want him to not be scared of us,” The red SkyWing said, “And since he always has those hats on, I thought, ‘why not get him some plushes to go with them?’”

_Okay, that is actually the most adorable friendship-making idea I’ve ever heard… If only Walnut wasn’t misinterpreting it another way…_

“Let me through,” Bolt told them.

The dragonets stepped aside, and Bolt set his projector blade on the ground, and began to approach Walnut in as non-threatening a way as he could muster.

“Walnut? It’s Bolt. Remember me?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Hey, everything’s okay. These dragons weren’t going to hurt you. They just want to be your friends. Look at all the presents they got you!”

Walnut’s eyes peeked out from under his hat, and they promptly were confronted with the sewn faces of at least five plushes, including a rabbit that looked almost just like the hat he was wearing.

Walnut gasped, and his eyes widened; it seemed that he was only just now noticing the plushes.

He looked up at the SkyWings. “You… You got these for me?”

“Yeah, buddy!” The red SkyWing happily stated, “They’re all yours!”

Walnut stumbled to his feet and picked up the rabbit plush, and hugged it. Bolt could see all his fear almost tangibly melting away with each squeeze of the doll. It was such an overwhelming feeling of relief and Bolt felt so moved by this display that he shed a tear.

“T-thank you!” Walnut said to the SkyWings.

“No problem, Walnut! Hey, want to hang out with us? We can be your bodyguards!”

An orange SkyWing spoke next. “Yeah, we’ll make sure no bad dragon gets close to you!”

Walnut’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Sure! You’ll be our little brother, Walnut!”

Walnut screamed, this time with delight, and he gathered up as many plushes as he could carry and ran past Bolt to unite with his new companions.

“Thanks, Bolt!” Said Walnut.

“Hey, this wasn’t my idea,” Bolt said with a chuckle, “Have fun with your new friends.”

Bolt picked up his projector blade just as Chestnut ran into the square. “What’s going on, why are the Mountain Dragons still here!?”

“Chestnut, we all misjudged the situation pretty badly. These dragons weren’t trying to hurt your son, they were trying to befriend him… Aggressively.” 

Chestnut saw Walnut standing in the center of the dragonets, a huge grin on his face. “Oh, Bolt… I haven’t seen him smile like that since…”

“I think these dragons just helped him get over his fear of them, Chestnut. You owe them a thank-you… And an apology.”

Chestnut walked up to the group, fidgeting with her translator bracelet. “Thank you all… Take good care of my Walnut… And I’m sorry for thinking badly of your intentions.”

“No problem, ma’am,” The red SkyWing said, “We’ll make sure he’s safe as can be!”

The red-orange SkyWing raised his wings. “Hey, I heard that there’s a sweet shop that serves both humans and dragons around here! Let’s go check it out!”

“I’m buying!” The orange one declared, and the dragonets took off running towards the west.

“Hey, wait up!” Walnut shouted after them, “I’ve only got two legs!”

As Walnut disappeared into the distance, Bolt turned to Chestnut. “I’m glad that went well. Things weren’t as good for my own son today.”

“You never told me you had a child of your own,” Chestnut commented.

“Yeah, it’s kind of funny. The next day after I met you, I ended up adopting a boy from Haven. He’s a lot of work.”

“How old is he?”

“I… Actually don’t know. Judging by appearances, I’d say he’s five?”

“You should get him some friends. Children need a good social structure at that age. You saw how happy Walnut was when he found his circle.”

“I agree… But Puff’s… Not like other kids. I’ll have to see about getting him enrolled in school; that’s a good place to make friends.”

“You’ll be a good father, Bolt. I’m sure of it.”

“How so?”

“You already watch over the humans in this town… In a way, you were already a papa before meeting your charge.”

“I see what you mean. Anyway, I’ll see you around.”

“Love your son, Bolt. Show him that nothing is more important to you than him, and he’ll know it. Children always know when their parents love them.”

Bolt teared up, remembering his own parents. “Y-yeah… I know. See you later, Chestnut.”

**-Outpost Manor-**

“I’m home!” Bolt said, “Who wants dinner?”

“ME!!” Puff ran down the stairs into the room.

“Alright, Puff. How about I make you one of my favorite foods? Freshly smoked venison.”

“Veni-what?”

“Deer meat, Puff. It’s delicious, you’ll love it.”

“Just like what the boy in your story eats?”

_Crap, better stay in third-person for this._

“Yeah, Forest-Boy loves this stuff. Here, let me get you a plate.”

Bolt went outside and took two cuts of venison out of the smoker. Back inside, he placed the smaller of the two onto Puff’s plate, and took the larger for himself.

“It looks like steak!” Puff licked his lips.

“Go ahead and try it.”

“I need a knife and fork.”

Bolt blinked awkwardly. _Oh, right. He actually has table manners. Who’s the mature one again?_

Bolt chuckled nervously, and went up and opened a drawer and took out two steak knives and forks Basil loaned him from the Indestructible City’s palace, that admittedly Bolt had _never_ used until now. He handed Puff a set.

“Be careful with that,” Bolt advised Puff, pointing to the knife, “It’s really sharp.”

“Okay!” Puff began cutting a piece of venison. Bolt also began slicing a bite-sized piece. The smoker had done its job. The meat was very tender. Puff took his first bite, and his eyes went aglow as he chewed.

”It’s good, isn’t it!”

Puff swallowed. “Yeah, it’s yummy!” He sliced off another bite.

Bolt and Puff ate their meal, silently enjoying the taste.

When it was all finished, Bolt took away the plates and silverware and stowed them in the basin to be cleaned later when he had time to fill it with water from the well.

“Can you tell me more of the Forest-Boy story?”

_Crud, I’ll have to make up more of it._

“Sure, Puff. Are you ready for bed?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Alright, then. Let’s get you tucked in.”

Bolt took Puff upstairs to his bedroom, and in moments Puff was under the covers.

“Okay, Puff. Here’s more of the Forest-Boy story.”

  
Bolt sat down on the bed next to his son. “One day, the Forest-Boy decided he wanted to breathe fire like a dragon. He wondered how he’d be able to do it. One thing came to mind. Peppers. The kind that set your mouth on fire. He journeyed long and far to find a plant, and when he did, he took a bunch of seeds, and carried them up a mountain into a secluded valley, where he planted them in the rich soil he found there. Over several years he made the seeds grow, and produce peppers that got hotter and hotter with each batch.”

“Did he ever get to breathe fire?”

“Not yet… He’s still working on it though.”

Puff giggled, then he let out a big yawn.

“Good night, Puff.”

“Good night, Bolt…”

Bolt got up and shut off the light, then went downstairs to look for Keeper.

“Hey, Keeper? Where are you?”

Bolt stomped across the tall carpet into Keeper’s bedroom. He wasn’t in there.

“Only one place else he could be.”

Bolt approached the basement door, and found that the one meant for Keeper was open wide. He carefully jumped down each step, which was quite a workout because each step was almost as tall as he was. At the bottom, just as he guessed, was Keeper.

“I put Puff to sleep. Hopefully he doesn’t keep asking for more new bedtime stories about me, I don’t know how much longer I can keep my secret identity a mystery to him.”

“I got the Council notice out to everyone. We will convene tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay then. We really should get Puff some form of schooling. He’s just the right age to start classes.”

“Bolt, he has two NightWings out for his blood. We should be guarding him every second.”

“Once again, Keeper, he needs an education.”

“We turned out just fine without schooling.”

“No, I didn’t. And it’s not just learning he needs, it’s _socialization._ Humans need lots of it at his age. I came close to driving myself insane when I was little, having no one to talk to.”

Keeper groaned. “Then perhaps if I can’t change your mind… We could have a bodyguard posted to him when he’s in school.”

“Not ideal… But I guess we could make it work.”

“Very well then.”

“What are you doing down here anyway?”

“I’m organizing my journal collection.”

“How many books have you filled so far?”

“Ten. Just finished the last page of my latest one.”

“Those will totally come in handy when people want to write your biography.”

“You should put your life story onto paper as well, Bolt. By all accounts your existence has been _far_ longer and more interesting than mine.”

“That’s a really good idea. Maybe if I can find time. Anyway, I’m gonna go hit the hay.”

“Good night, Bolt.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Bolt crossed into his section of the basement and went up to the bathroom. He washed his hair, brushed his teeth, and shaved some stubble that had been growing around his mouth. Then he went all the way up the stairs to the observation deck on the roof of the tower.

The view from up here was stunning. A light evening breeze, pleasant with late summer warmth, blew through. The lights around town were just beginning to come alive. In the distance he could see three small dragons flying. He could just barely make out the tiny, pinpoint silhouette of a human on one of their backs as they soared.

“Good going, kid,” Bolt whispered to himself.

_Clearly my experiment with Union is working. Humans and dragons_ can _coexist, and more than that, we bring out the best in each other. How did we even fall apart five thousand years ago? I can’t imagine what would have divided us._

Bolt yawned, and headed downstairs to go to bed.


	5. Puff's Magical Mishaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolt tells Puff that the best way to use his powers is to help other people. Puff takes this to heart and proceeds to parade himself around town when Bolt's not looking to try and help everyone he sees... And quickly discovers that even the best of intentions can sometimes cause problems...

**Chapter Five: Puff’s Magical Mishaps**

Bolt awoke earlier than usual. He opened his WristUnit and checked the clock.

06:33 LOCAL PLANETARY TIME

He stepped out into the staircase. As he descended, he noticed that the light in Puff’s room was on. He gently knocked on the door, and stepped inside.

Puff was sitting cross-legged on his bed, with a piece of paper and a crayon in front of him.

_Where did he get those from?_

“What’s that you’re drawing?” Bolt asked him, an air of curiosity in his voice.

Puff wouldn’t answer. Bolt slowly approached the bed… And noticed what his son had drawn.

The despair in this work of art was apparent, in its own, childish way. A semi-stick-figure Puff lay crouching on the ground, waterfalls of anime-style tears pouring out of his eyes, as a messy but surprisingly well-drawn NightWing with a big, toothy grin squashed what Bolt presumed to be his mother in a shower of gore that was well beyond what a five-year-old should be capable of imagining.

“Oh, Puff…” Bolt groaned mournfully.

Puff quickly crumpled up the drawing and glared at Bolt.

“Puff, it’s totally healthy to let out your feelings by drawing. Do you want to talk about it?”

Puff’s face softened. “What did Forest-Boy do when his mommy and daddy got eaten? Did he cry like I did?”

Bolt paled. _I can’t keep this a secret from him any longer._

“Puff…” Bolt looked warmly at him. “I need to tell you something about Forest-Boy. Come with me.” He stood up, beckoning Puff to follow.

Bolt took Puff quietly downstairs, and he opened the door into the street. The sun was just rising, and the streets were empty. Bolt took Puff’s hand and walked towards the Communal District.

Bolt led Puff into Memorial Square. Immediately Puff’s eyes went to the large obelisk in the center of the open space. He squinted as he looked at the writing in both Human and Dragon scripts on the surface of it.

“Can you read that?” Bolt asked Puff.

Puff shook his head. “Mommy never taught me to read.”

Bolt sat on a bench in front of the monument, and Puff soon sat next to him. Bolt had memorized the entire epitaph, but he read off of it anyway.

“It says:”

DEDICATED TO THE LIVES OF THE INNOCENT HUMAN SOULS TAKEN FROM US ON THIS SPOT 5002 A.C.

IN THE SPIRIT OF PEACE BETWEEN HUMANS AND DRAGONS MAY THIS MONUMENT STAND AS A TESTAMENT TO THE COUNTLESS LIVES LOST IN HUMAN-DRAGON CONFLICT SINCE THE CATASTROPHE

Following was a list of the names of the humans Bolt once shared his life with. He could pick out the ones he knew best right away.

MYNA

CONIFER

BUD

“Darter…” Bolt whispered.

“Huh?” Puff went, “So, what did you bring me here for?”

“You wanna know who Forest-Boy’s mommy and daddy were?” He pointed to their names on the monument. “Darter... And Bud… The father and mother of…”

He closed his eyes.

“Bolt.”

Puff’s eyes became huge. “You… You’re _him!?”_ Puff shivered. “B-but that would mean…”

“I watched them get slaughtered right in front of me. I only survived because of an underground shelter not too far from here. So… You wanted to know if I cried?”

Bolt hugged Puff deeply. His voice broke: “Yes, Puff. I cried my eyes out. I cried because I was all alone… And because I was terrified that I would soon meet their fate myself.” Bolt patted Puff’s back reassuringly. “And that’s totally okay.”

Puff wriggled out of the hug and crossed his arms. “But why are you friends with dragons then?”

“Mostly because one of them saved my life. Yeah, it surprised me then too. But it’s the truth. Not all dragons are bad, Puff. Just ask Keeper.”

Some people and dragons began to walk through the square, going about their business.

“Puff… You’re so much like I am… But also, you’re so much more. Your abilities set you apart… But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.” Bolt took Puff’s hand. “I want you to promise me something, Puff.”

“What is it?”

“Promise that you’ll use your powers to help people. Where I’m from, people with powers like yours become heroes, using their abilities to make the world better. There’s a saying… With great power comes great… What was it again? Aww, whatever, you get the point.”

“I can wish to make people’s lives better…”

“Yes, Puff. So… Do you promise?”

“I promise.”

“Great. How about I take you to a restaurant for breakfast?”

“What’s a res-turr-aunt?”

“It’s a place where you can pay someone else to make food for you. I know a place here that has really good pancakes.”

“Do they have strawberry toast?”

“I can ask. Shouldn’t be too hard for them. Let’s go.”

Bolt took Puff down the street towards a building with a cozy feel, despite being huge enough to fit multiple dragons inside. The hand-talon mark indicating certification of co-habitability was proudly displayed next to the door.

“This is Rockvale. The people here really put a lot of love into their food… I don’t know how they do it, but their pancakes are just like the ones my mom and dad used to make.”

_Though sometimes it gets so bittersweet eating them that I can’t finish them… Hopefully the owners didn’t notice all the times I nearly started crying while eating here._

Inside Rockvale was a dining area that somehow managed to look comfortable from a human perspective even though there were tables on one side that were far too big for humans. There weren’t any dragons present at the time besides the MudWing cook behind the counter.

Puff noticed him. “So will the dragon cook for us?”

“The way restaurants work around here, the dragons cook for dragons, and humans cook for humans. That’s simply because it’d be too much work for a human to cook enough food for a dragon, and a dragon would have trouble working with portion sizes for us with their big talons.”

“Yeah, that’s about right,” A woman’s voice came from the counter.

Bolt waved at the woman. “Hey there, Tabby!”

“What’s up? Babysitting a neighbor’s kid?”

“I guess you could say I’m babysitting him… Permanently.”

“So in other words, he’s adopted?”

“Well… Yeah. It’s a long story. His mother’s gone.”

“Well, I guess it was only a matter of time before you got yourself a child, though I really would have thought you would’ve gotten a girlfriend firsthand.”

“You should talk, Miss Single-Lady.”

“Hey! I’m just looking for the right man is all!”

Puff butted in front of Bolt. “Do you have strawberry toast?”

Tabby stared awkwardly at Puff for a second, before her eyes became warm and welcoming. “Why, yes, child, we do! Let me whip up some for you.”

Puff looked thrilled.

_I remember seeing some strawberries and toast in his old house,_ Bolt thought, _It must have been the last meal Cascade made for him… I better be prepared to make some of it on my own, if he likes it this much._

“And what’ll you be having, Founder?”

Bolt was jerked out of his thoughts. “Oh, uh, pancakes and apple juice!”

“Want them ‘Outpost Style?’”

“Yeah.”

“You know, I’m starting to think those pancakes have some sort of sentimental value to you.”

Bolt swallowed. _Oh great, she knows._ “How so?”

“Are you not aware of how obvious it is? Your whole face looks like a big puppy-dog’s teary visage when you’re eating them.”

“It’s because they remind him of his dead mommy and daddy’s pancakes!” Puff declared, oblivious to what he was saying.

Bolt paled and looked at him with horror-stricken eyes. Tabby, on the other hand, went pale with surprise, then she softened.

“Oh Bolt… Is that really why you love my cooking so much? Oh, you poor man… I’m so honored you think my pancakes are on par with such important people in your life. Here, I’ll make them for you, on the house.”

“T-thanks, Tabby,” Bolt stammered.

“You and your boy go ahead and get yourselves seated.” Tabby went back into the kitchen.

Bolt and Puff sat down in a chair next to a window looking out into the street. Bolt opened his WristUnit and began running a remote diagnostic on his starship, _Darter._

“More faraway machines. Bolt?” Puff looked at the floating screen with interest.

“Yeah. It’s a little too complicated to explain to you, though.”

“That’s okay. Can I go look around the restaurant?”

“Sure, sure. Just stay away from the dragon areas.”

**-Puff-**

Puff got out of his seat and roamed around the floor. He reached the counter and gazed up nervously at the MudWing cook, who returned his gaze and smiled gently at him, causing Puff to warm up to the dragon.

“You remind me of a boy I once knew…” He said quietly in Human, “I saved him from getting eaten by my brothers. The look of gratitude on his little face is one I’ll never forget.”

“What happened to him?” Puff asked.

“I do not know. One day he left and never returned. Deep inside I hope he made it home to his family… And that he was able to reach adulthood.”

Puff hoped he did too. The alternative was a really scary and sad thought.

“Do you like cooking here?”

“Of course. One of the things I especially enjoy about working with Miss Tabby is getting to adapt human foods for a dragon palate. Your species really has a way with food… It is amazing. Please excuse me, I need to get back to my work.”

“Okay. Thanks for talking with me.”

“You’re welcome, young one.”

Puff wandered around for a time, then he noticed a poster on the wall, and meandered towards it. It had a picture of a man’s face on it along with a lot of words in two languages, neither of which was decipherable to him. The illustration really captured the man’s form, though. It was obvious he was loving and kind. He had to have been a father.

“Oh, you saw this?” Tabby said from behind him, startling Puff. The lady had a big tray balanced in her hand containing what seemed to be his and Bolt’s food.

“What does the writing say?”

“Oh, you can’t read? I should have guessed, you look pretty young. It’s a ‘Missing Person’ poster. That poor man was believed to have been kidnapped.”

Puff went cold. “ _Kidnapped?_ But who would want to steal a nice man like him?”

The MudWing looked their way, concern etched on his snout. “I don’t think you should trouble that child with this knowledge, Tabby.”

Bolt looked up from his WristUnit. “Yeah, Puff, that’s not something you need to worry about. Come sit down and eat.”

Puff didn’t want to sit down. He wanted to know why this poor man was missing. “Tell me, Tabby! What happened to him?”

Tabby looked extremely hesitant and uncomfortable. “H-he…” She swallowed, and sat her tray on a nearby table. “He was kidnapped by a group of really bad dragons called the Talons of Power. They steal humans, and they sell them… To be eaten. Nobody can find them. That man was taken away from his wife… And his twin daughters, bless their hearts.”

Puff was floored. He felt dizzy thinking about the fact that not one, but _two_ children like him might have lost their daddy forever.

“That’s something me and my friends at work are trying to stop,” Bolt said, “We’re doing everything we can to bring him home.”

Tabby picked up her tray and walked over and set down Bolt and Puff’s plates. “Here, you two. Best to take your minds off this tragedy, and have something sweet to fill yourselves with.”

Puff trudged over to the table and sat down. Tabby went back to the kitchen to clean up.

Puff picked up a knife and fork and began eating.

_Three moons…_ Puff thought as the taste burst onto his tongue, _It’s just like mommy’s!_

Even still, it was bittersweet. His mommy was gone; she would never be able to make strawberry toast for him ever again. He’d never again experience her warm hugs, or beautiful voice. As kind-hearted and sweet as Tabby was, she wasn’t mommy. As much as Bolt obviously wanted to protect and care for him, _he_ wasn’t mommy.

“Puff, you okay?” Puff looked up from his plate to find that Bolt was looking at him, with concern in his deep brown eyes.

Puff hadn’t noticed the fat teardrops dripping into his food until just now.

“Let me guess… It’s just like your mommy’s toast?”

Puff swallowed and nodded, letting out a tiny sob.

“I guess we have that in common then… It’s totally okay, Puff. Food like this has that effect on people.”

Puff let out another stream of tears as he continued eating, unable to stop. Bolt continued eating as well, eyeing his son in case he needed more consoling words.

Puff eventually finished the food. Tabby came over to pick up the empty plate, and she immediately noticed the tear streaks on the boy’s cheeks.

“You too, huh? I’m starting to think I might have some supernatural power… Like _everything_ I cook turns out just like the customer’s parents’ cooking. I should totally market myself on that… Nah, it’d be asking too much of myself. But Puff?”

“Uh-huh?”

“Don’t let the loss of your mother prevent you from living a good, fun childhood. Whatever killed your mom, don’t let it win by staying down for the rest of your life. You hear?”

Puff stared at her for a second, then: “Yeah, Tabby.”

“Very good. You two can go when you’re finished. I think Bolt’s earned a free meal by taking in such a wonderful child as you.”

“Thankth, Thabby,” Bolt said with a full mouth.

Tabby chuckled. “Don’t eat too fast. Make sure to savor it. I’ll see you around.” She left for the kitchen.

Bolt and Puff left Rockvale when Bolt’s pancakes were finished. By now the sun had fully risen, and more humans and dragons were milling around.

Bolt’s words from earlier came into Puff’s mind.

“ _Promise that you’ll use your powers to help people.”_

_How can I use my powers to help people?_

_Maybe build a big magical playground where it’s impossible to not have fun_ _?_

_Or how about a box that’s always full of candy no matter how much you take from it?_

_No… I need to think bigger._

_How about…_

_I rescue that man the dragons stole?_

So, what do you want to do today, Puff?” Bolt asked.

_I don’t want to let him know what I really want to do._

“Can we go toy shopping?”

Bolt smiled. “Sure, little guy! I’ve got some spare gold on me since we didn’t need to pay Tabby for breakfast. Let’s go to the Human’s Market and buy you some things to play with at home.”

Bolt led Puff down into the Human Half district.

“This is where most of the humans live,” Bolt told Puff as they walked, “That’s why most of the houses are human-sized.”

“Why don’t you live here then?”

“Because I’m close enough with Keeper that I don’t want to live separately from him. He’s almost like a brother to me.”

“Can I sleep with Keeper if I have a nightmare?”

Bolt took on an awkward expression as he thought of a response. “Well, uhh, while I’m sure Keeper is _very_ good at keeping monsters away… I’d be really worried he’d roll over and squish you while he’s sleeping… That’s the reason I never sleep anywhere near him… Keeper moves all over the place when he’s out. So no, I’d rather you stay away from Keeper's bedroom unless you’re with me.”

Soon they reached the market. Bolt took Puff’s hand as they entered. The interior of the building was crowded, many humans and a couple dragons doing their shopping.

“Whoa…” Puff breathed. There was so much to look at!

“Don’t let go of my hand,” Bolt instructed, “I don’t want to lose you in here.”

Bolt and Puff approached a stand filled with countless toys for children of all ages.

“Alright, kid, see which ones you like!”

Puff let go of Bolt’s hand and began examining the toys. There were little wooden horses, dolls of varying design, building blocks. Puff wished he had rescued some of his toys from his bedroom at his old house. Now they were buried under the house’s ruins, likely unrecoverable.

Puff gathered an armful of building blocks and little wooden people, and took them to Bolt.

“Is that what you want?” Bolt asked.

Puff nodded, but the motion caused some of the blocks to fall out of his arms.

“Here,” the shopkeeper said, “Take this bag to keep them in.” He handed a rough burlap sack to Bolt.

“How much for all this?” Bolt asked him.

“Five gold pieces should do.”

Bolt handed him five coins, then helped Puff put the rest of the blocks into the bag.

“Thank you for your patronage,” the man said.

Bolt took the bag, and with Puff, they departed for home.

**-Two Hours Later-**

_Okay, I think he’s not coming up here for a while._

Puff put down his blocks and walked over to the window in his bedroom. With a significant percentage of his strength he heaved the window open, and looked down.

_Uh-oh… That’s a long way down…_

“I… I want to be able to float!”

Puff instantly felt light and airy inside, and he felt like his feet were barely touching the floor.

_Here goes…_

Puff crawled through the window, and tamping down his fear, he stepped out into the air.

To Puff’s relief, his wish worked. Rather than plummeting to a bone-crunching impact on the hard ground below, he slowly, gently floated downward like a petal falling from a flower. Though it would help if it didn’t take so darn long.

A full minute later, Puff’s feet softly touched the ground in his house’s backyard.

_Alright, I’m free! Now let’s go be a hero!_

_But wait… Maybe I shouldn’t go fight bad dragons just yet. I don’t know what I can do yet._

_Maybe I should start being a hero with something small?_

He could see a young lady walking with a very pale Mountain Dragon on the street nearby.

_What a poor dragon, with such pale scales like that! I know! I’ll make him colorful! Th_ _at’ll make him happy!_

Puff hopped over the fence with his floaty powers and jogged up to the pair.

“I want this dragon to have rainbow scales!” Puff whispered, and he touched the dragon’s scales as he said this.

“Oh?” The dragon said, turning to look at Puff. “Hello, child! My name is Sky!”

At that moment, his scales erupted in all the colors of the rainbow, looking for all the world like a dragon in a coloring book who had been the victim of an overly imaginative child, which, in this case, he kind of was.

Sky stared blankly at his body. “U-uh, wha…?”

“Look, Sky! I made you pretty!” Puff happily patted his scales.

The lady, on the other hand, looked _mad._ She stormed over to Puff, and roughly pushed him away from Sky. “I don’t know what the heck you just did to him, but _turn him back NOW!!”_

_Uh-oh… Maybe this wasn’t helping…_

“Now, kid!”

“I-I want this dragon to turn back to normal!”

Sky’s scales returned to their pale orange color.

“Good. Now, where are your parents? I’m going to give them a piece of my mind!”

Puff swallowed. He’d be in big trouble if Bolt found out what he was doing!

“Wren, it’s okay,” Sky assured, “I think he was just trying to be nice.”

Wren stared up at Sky. “But he completely ruined your beautiful colo--”

“Wren, he’s a child. Just like we were once. He didn’t know any better.”

Wren looked at Sky, then at Puff. “Ugh, fine. But kid? Go home. And don’t go around doing whatever that was again.”

Puff nodded, and he went on his way.

_Okay, I need to do something more helpful than that._

He looked in the distance and saw a bunch of humans and dragons working on building a big dragon house.

He gasped. “I can be helpful with that!” He dashed down the street to the construction site.

“Hey, this isn’t a place for kids!” A man shouted as he barged into the site.

“But I can help!” Puff puffed out his chest to try and make him look strong, which only succeeded in showing just how little muscle he actually had.

“Kid, go home. You’d end up hurting yourself.

“But what if there were a bunch of me! You could have so many builders!”

The worker raised his eyebrow. “Kid, did your daddy feed you something he shouldn’t have? You’re not making any sens--”

Puff whispered to himself, and in a flash, Puff split into two.

Now there were two Puffs standing in front of the man, who began to sweat nervously, no doubt wondering if he himself ate something he shouldn’t have.

“Uh-- Uhh…”

Puff split again, and again, quickly multiplying. The man turned to his foreman. “Go get help!” He told him in a mild panic.

**-Bolt-**

Bolt was having a cup of tea he brought over from his ship’s RMP machine when he heard a knock at the human-sized door. Bolt went over and answered it. On the other side was a man in a builder’s outfit.

“Founder, you need to help us!”

“What is it? A dragon attack?”

“No! There’s this kid! He… He’s magic or something! He’s cloning himself all over the place!”

_God-damn it Puff!_

“Lead the way.”

He could hear them from all the way down the street. But it didn’t prepare him for when he actually reached the construction site.

There were Puffs everywhere. All saying things like “Here, let me help!” and “I’ve got this!” Most of the ones who tried “helping” ended up failing miserably, often hurting themselves in the process. A dozen or more injured Puffs lay in a group near the house, crying for their mommies. One had been completely squashed under a wood beam, crushed into a bloody pulp while a MudWing worker looked in horror. The construction site had been reduced to utter bedlam by this army of cloned kindergartners.

_Three squeaking moons… What have you done!?_

“ **PUFF!!”** Bolt screamed.

“Yes?” Every single Puff responded in unison.

Bolt waded into the sea of identical scavenger cubs. He figured that he had to find the original Puff to sort this out, which was easier said than done. Whatever “wish” the boy placed on himself, he had been good enough at it that each Puff was indistinguishable from the other.

“Okay, which one of you is the _real_ Puff?” Bolt asked one of the clones.

All the Puffs pointed at each other.

Bolt groaned and facepalmed.

“Okay, which one of you likes vanilla pudding the most?”

The crowd erupted into cries of “Me!” and “I want vanilla pudding!”

_It was worth a shot._

_Do all the Puffs have the same memories?_

“Puff, what did Keeper look like when you turned him into a human?”

One Puff raised his hand. “Ooh, I know!”

“What’s the answer?”

“He looked just like you!”

“Close, but not quite.”

Another Puff raised his hand. “He had a big tail and he wore a dress!”

The other Puffs chuckled.

Another chimed in near the back of the group. “He had darker skin than you… And he wore light pants and a white shirt.”

_That’s it… Hopefully_ _he’s the_ _one._

Bolt pointed at that specific Puff. “Okay, I need you to undo your spell, Puff!”

Puff seemed to come to his senses at that moment, apparently reminded that he was the original Puff. He looked nervously around at the mayhem he caused… And said: “I want there to be just one of me!”

Every Puff except that one vanished in a big puff of white smoke, leaving a _very_ regretful-looking young boy standing in the middle of the construction site. He ran up to Bolt and wrapped his arms around his midriff. “I’m so sorry, Bolt!”

Bolt sighed. “Let’s go home, Puff.” He turned to the construction crew. “I apologize greatly for his behavior. I’ll pay back whatever damages he caused.”

The foreman approached him. “If that’s your son… Good luck, man. That kid has some problems.”

On the way home, Bolt turned to Puff. “Puff, I think part of this was my fault. I was the one who told you to use your powers to help others… And I guess you took it more personally than I thought you would. So from now on… How about you only use your magic when you really _need_ to help someone?”

“That sounds good.”

A dragon screeched in terror down the street. Bolt looked up, and saw that a thick plume of smoke was billowing from a neighborhood nearby.

“Oh no. Puff, stay here!”

He looked down at his side and saw that Puff was missing.

_I just told him to only use his magic when he NEEDS to help someone…_

_Should have chosen better words, ‘cause he probably_ thinks _he needs to help someone in this scenario._

Bolt took off running towards where Puff had apparently teleported himself.

A dragon’s house was completely covered in bright orange flames. A gathering of dragons and a small number of humans were clustered outside. Bolt could see Puff rushing in through the open door, and his heart dropped into his stomach.

“PUFF!” He screamed as he reached the area. He looked at one of the dragons, a female SkyWing. “What’s he doing!?”

“My egg!” She sobbed, “My poor egg’s trapped in there!” She seemed unable to worry about anything else.

Bolt steeled himself, then rushed towards the house to save both his son and her egg. But before he could…

The house came crashing down in an avalanche of wood, bricks, and sparks.

Bolt’s eyes emptied, and he fell to his knees.

“No…” He sobbed, “Not this quickly… Please, God… I just got him!” He buried his face in his hands and began to cry.

Fen came rushing over. “Bolt! Who was that kid!?”

“M-my son…”

“What!? You got a kid!?”

Bolt panted with emotion. “He’s gone, Fen… I just adopted him… And he’s _gone!_ What kind of father am I!?”

The fire brigade arrived; dragons armed with huge buckets of water began to attempt to douse what was left of the already-dying fire. They began to claw through the wreckage, digging for survivors.

Bolt began to cling to hope. _Please be okay… Please don’t be dead!_

“Hey!” One of the dragons growled, “What’s this!?”

Bolt ran over, dodging around the dragons’ legs, and found what they had discovered.

It was a big, bright, shining egg, seemingly made from a silvery glowing material. Way too big to be a dragon egg.

Before Bolt could start wondering what it was, the “egg” began to hatch.

Inside was an orange dragon egg, and, to Bolt’s overwhelming relief…

Puff was inside, with ash caking his skin and hair, but he was wonderfully, beautifully _alive._

“My egg!!” The SkyWing mother shouted, and she ran up and took the egg, nuzzling it gently to her snout.

Bolt, unable to speak out of sheer happiness, lifted Puff out of the egg, which promptly disintegrated, and he cradled the boy in his arms. Puff looked somewhat oblivious, with half-lidded, blank eyes, no doubt recovering from his close encounter with death.

“He saved my egg!” The dragon yelled, “That human child saved my egg!”

The dragons erupted into cheers. Bolt looked around at them, taking it in.

_Puff finally got what he wanted… He’s a hero now. But I’m just glad he’s okay._


	6. Bloody Claws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter and the next one have some really gory moments. Even a bit more gory in my opinion than what we saw Crimson II do to Marcus Ridley in the last book.
> 
> In celebration of the release of the Dangerous Gift, (And totally not because I went overboard, wrote over 11,000 words, and had to split up the chapter!) I'm releasing two chapters today! I hope you all enjoy them!
> 
> ALSO! An important announcement! After some guidance from the people on the Discord server who help me polish off my chapters, I've made a decision to alter canon midway through the story. Puff will no longer be five years old, instead I've aged him to seven. I haven't gotten around to changing the previous chapters, but from here forward Puff will be described as two years older than he was previously, which should hopefully match his behavior with the facts regarding human child development.
> 
> Bolt takes Puff to a Council meeting, but an incident further galvanizes Puff to go and rescue the humans being held captive by the Talons of Power. He may very well learn the hard way that he can't do such a thing alone.
> 
> "Now witness the firepower of this fully armed and operational cinnamon roll!"

**Chapter Six: Bloody Claws**

  
  


**-An Hour After the Fire, At Home-**

Bolt heard the sound of melodic whistling waver down the stairs from the Puff’s bedroom as he sat at the table in the living room. He walked towards the stairs when he saw a dragon-sized scroll laying on the floor. He rolled it open, reading the text in Dragon on it…

SCAVENGER MEUNIERE

FRIED SCAVENGER LEGS

SCAVENGER SASHIMI

Bolt gasped in horror. There were recipes in here, each with graphically detailed illustrations of humans prepared into various dishes, some of which showing the human’s face frozen in pain in their final moments. One showed a half-skinned human with all his limbs chopped off, and it was at that point he couldn’t look at it any longer. 

He felt a sick feeling build up within him. Humans died horrible deaths as a result of this scroll. Humans just like his parents, Basil’s parents, Puff’s mom. Seeing people who had actual lives, hopes, and dreams reduced to mere  _ ingredients  _ on a scroll made him feel like throwing up. This abomination had to be destroyed.

_ I don’t have anything to light the fireplace with; Keeper usually does that job. But I do have an all-powerful second-grader in the house. _

He rolled up the scroll and dragged it upstairs to Puff’s room. Inside, Puff was sitting cross-legged in bed, intently whistling a tune, using his balled-up hands as a sort of musical instrument. Soon after Bolt entered, he stopped whistling and looked up at him.

“Hi, Bolt!” He said, “What’s that?”

“I need you to burn it.”

“Why? What is it?”

“Just burn it,” Bolt growled.

Puff jumped out of bed and waddled over. Bolt placed the scroll on the floor. Puff snapped his fingers and a tiny flame appeared on the tip of his index finger. Thankfully not able to see the scroll’s contents, he placed his lit finger against the paper, setting it alight. Soon there was nothing left of it but ash, and Puff waved his hand over the flame, which extinguished it and prevented it from spreading to the wooden floor.

“Thanks, Puff.” Bolt sighed with relief, the sick feeling departing him. “So, uh, what were you just doing?”

“I was whistling. My mommy taught me when I was three. I know a whole bunch of songs!”

Puff balled his hands back up and began whistling once again, this time the song sounded like a lullaby.

“You’re really good at it.”

Puff interrupted his song. “Thanks.”

“So, anyway, in a couple hours, I thought I’d take you to a council meeting. I’ll introduce you to all the people and dragons I work with.”

“That sounds fun!”

“And while we’re there we’re going to try to get you enrolled in school.”

“I’ll get to go to  _ school!?” _ Puff’s face lit up.

“Yeah. You’ve got to get yourself an education.”

“Mommy said I can’t go to school because I could mess up my wishes and hurt people…”

“Well I disagree. Yeah, you’ll definitely need to watch your magic, but it’s better than you staying uneducated forever. We’ll work something out.”

“Alright!” Puff did a little dance. “Puff’s going to school,” He sang.

Bolt laughed at his antics. “I’m glad you’re excited about it.”

“Bolt?” Keeper’s voice came from downstairs, “Could I talk with you?”

Bolt turned and headed down the staircase. Keeper was waiting at the bottom.

“Have you seen the scroll the SeaWings lent us?” Keeper asked as Bolt walked into the living room, “I was going to go ahead and send it off to the Museum of Human-Dragon History.”

Bolt’s eyes narrowed. “You mean the  _ cookbook?”  _ He spat.

Keeper’s eyes widened, no doubt realizing that Bolt had indeed seen the scroll.

“The blipping SeaWings, Keeper! They made  _ sushi _ out of us!”

“Bolt, I’m so,  _ so _ sorry you saw that...”

Bolt sat, trembling, on a couch, the sick feeling returning. "I was used to seeing us get eaten..." Bolt's voice shook, "But not like that. A God-damn  _ cookbook, _ Keeper. An organized tome filled with pictures of... Of..." Bolt's eyes went glassy as he visualized the horrifying imagery depicted on the scroll.

“Bolt, that scroll is two-thousand years old. It was written because the king back then liked eating humans, and he is  _ long _ dead, so you can't possibly be holding this against the tribe. They wanted me to preserve that scroll as an example of how bad it was for humans in the past! So where is it?"

Bolt sneered. "I had Puff burn it. I couldn't stand to let that atrocity exist any longer."

"Bolt, that scroll was irreplaceable!!"

"Good! That way the dragons won't be able to learn how to do  _ that _ to us ever again!!"

Keeper groaned. “Ugh, next time I’ll have to learn to keep ancient artifacts out of your reach,” And with that, he turned and went into his bedroom. Bolt then went upstairs to his room to prepare for the council meeting.

**-Later-**

Bolt pointed excitedly at the Hub down the street. “This is where I do all my work bringing together humans and dragons. Today you’ll get to see how the core of this city’s government works.”

“Wow! It’s like a big castle!”

“Yep.”

“Bolt helped design this building,” Keeper said.

The Hub had a big stone tower containing offices, and a big dome in the middle under which was a forum-style area where humans and dragons could mingle. The Council chamber was in the back of the building.

Bolt led Puff into the building, past the reception desk, and towards their destination. Bolt pushed open the door. Inside Fen, Twig, and Apple were already seated.

“Hey, kid!” Fen said happily in Human with a smile, “I’m glad you’re okay! That was really, really brave of you, going in to save that egg!”

Puff blushed and sheepishly smiled back at him.

“So this is the boy you were talking about, Fen?” Twig looked Puff over. “He’s younger than I was expecting.”

“Don’t forget to claim him as a dependent on your taxes, Bolt,” Apple reminded.

“Well, duh, Apple! I’ll get working on it soon.”

Bolt climbed a ladder to his elevated seat, and Keeper sat next to him at his desk.

“Uhh, where am I going to sit?” Puff wondered.

“How about you stay on top of my desk?” Keeper said.

Puff walked over to Keeper and the SandWing lifted Puff gently in his talons onto his desk. Puff sat down and crossed his legs, taking his position in a relaxed fashion.

“It’s always so weird to see humans sit like that,” Fen said, “Doesn’t that get uncomfortable?”

“Nope,” Bolt replied, “It’s natural for us.”

Soon the rest of the Council walked in through the door. Keeper gave Nightcrawler a stern look when he entered. They took their positions.

After roll call, Bolt spoke the first order of business.

“As some of you have already heard, I have taken in a child who was orphaned in a dragon attack during the storm in Haven a few days ago. His name is Puff. One of the things I would like to do in this meeting is establish a plan to have him educated, since the boy has some unusual abilities that could pose a problem without proper behavior controls.”

“I’ll add it to the docket,” Keeper said. “But first, we should discuss the results of the mission to the SkyWing Palace and Haven that we embarked on after the last meeting. Fen, you start.”

“There were no injuries or damage reported at the palace,” Fen stated, “In addition, Twig was received well; he made sure the humans in their part of the palace were safe. Princes Cliff and Vermilion are doing an excellent job caring for their human subjects, as equals rather than pets.”

“That’s good to hear,” Keeper said. “As for me and Bolt, the village of Haven sustained some damage during the storm, and a small number of humans were injured, but none were life-threateningly hurt. As for a human who lived outside the village… Puff’s mother was killed by a NightWing as the storm brewed. We found Puff inside his dangerously damaged house and took him here. I am fully committed to nurturing him as if he were my own blood, as is Bolt.”

Carmine raised her head. “Who was the NightWing… And what happened to him?”

“After an initial investigation, we believe that his name is Preyseeker.” Bolt looked down. “And we don’t know his whereabouts. Puff hosts very powerful magic abilities. He cast an unknown spell on Preyseeker after his mom was killed, which either killed him, or whisked him to another location.”

“He could be anywhere,” Nightcrawler said, “Which is why we must be on our guard. I am mobilizing the Enforcement Squad to be on the lookout for suspicious NightWings, and to carefully screen any of them coming in from outside the city.”

“Very well,” Carmine said, “And Bolt said he wanted to send Puff to our school?”

“Correct,” Bolt said.

Keeper raised his head. “Given the danger Puff is in, and the abilities he has, he needs a support structure while he attends classes. Someone who can act as his bodyguard, as well as ensure his magic doesn’t get out of talon.”

“We’ll put out a bulletin asking for volunteers,” Twig said.

“Very well. Any other business?”

“Excuse me, council!” A human voice croaked weakly from the door.

**“Moons above!!”** Apple screamed.

A human stood in the entrance to the chamber. Or… What would pass for a human. Almost every inch of his clothes were soaked in dried blood, his right arm from the elbow down was completely gone, and a chunk of his belly was missing as well. The man was barely standing, propped against the doorframe for support. Keeper immediately shoved a talon in front of Puff’s eyes to shield him from the horrific sight.

“What in the world happened to you!?” Fen panted forlornly.

“I escaped… The monsters…”

_ The Talons of Power! _ Bolt realized.

“Where are they?” Nightcrawler asked, firmly yet with a respectful tone.

“They’re… Safe Harbor…” The man collapsed; a trickle of blood oozed from his torso onto the stone floor.

Nightcrawler wasted no time, and soared over his desk to where the man lay, and he swept him up in his talons. “I’ll get him to the hospital. In the meantime, authorize a team to strike! There’s no time to lose!” He ran out the door.

Keeper let go of Puff, revealing that the boy’s face looked scared and depressed. “Is he going to be okay?” He faltered, tears coming to his eyes.

“Yes, Puff,” Bolt said, not wanting to further depress him despite knowing that the man was in rough shape, “He’ll be fine. We have the finest hospital in Pyrrhia.”

“Safe Harbor…” Apple growled, “Those bastards…”

“I’ve never heard of that settlement,” Carmine said.

“It no longer exists,” Twig explained, “It was one of the biggest human settlements in Pyrrhia besides the Indestructible City… Until one of the SandWing princesses wrecked it. It was one of the single biggest losses of human life in recent memory.”

Apple glared at the floor., gritting his teeth. “It was my childhood home… And now, apparently, its blood-stained ruins have been co-opted… Into a place where even more human suffering runs amok.”

Bolt stood up. “I don’t really think Puff should be listening to this, it’s too mature for him.”

Fen stood. “I could take him out into the lobby, and babysit him there until the meeting’s over.”

Bolt looked nervously at him. “Are you sure I shouldn’t? He’s not Twig, you know.”

“Kids love me, Bolt! I’ve got plenty of experience with young humans.”

Bolt hesitated.  _ Well, he took care of Twig when he lost his arm… So I guess he’s gentle enough for it.  _ “Okay, but be careful with him.” He looked over at Keeper’s desk. “Puff, get on Fen’s back and stay in the lobby with him.

Fen approached Puff, who stood and walked to the edge of the desk. “Yeah, kid, you’ve got it,” The MudWing encouraged as he clinged to his neck. “Let me know when it’s safe,” He told the room, then he walked out the door with Puff.

“Last order of business,” Keeper commanded when the door shut, “As soon as Nightcrawler returns, we will coordinate an assault on the stronghold of the Talons of Power.”

“I’m right here!” The NightWing panted as he opened the door.

“Good timing,” Carmine commented.

“How is the man doing?” Twig asked.

“It’s not good… He was so limp when I handed him off it was hard to tell if he was still alive.”

“We’ll let the doctors do their job, while we do ours,” Keeper began, “We now have a location for the base of the biggest threat to Union’s safety. It is of the utmost importance that we swiftly take them down and rescue as many of their human captives as we can.”

“Agreed,” Nightcrawler said as he sat down, “Where is this ‘Safe Harbor’ place?”

“It’s not far from us,” Apple explained, “Just across the Bay of a Thousand Scales, to the southeast.”

“How soon can we organize a strike?” Bolt asked Nightcrawler.

“I can have my whole team briefed by noon tomorrow.”

Puff suddenly burst in. Upon seeing him, Bolt facepalmed.  _ Could you have kept him under control for  _ five minutes, _ Fen?  _ Fen stood behind Puff, giving the rest of the Council an apologetic look.

“We need to go now!” The boy shouted, startling everyone with the urgency in his voice.

Bolt turned to him. “Puff, please, these beings know what they’re talking abou--”

“If we don’t go now, the dragons will eat Birch!”

Everyone looked to Bolt, as if to ask if he knew what his son was talking about.

Bolt in turn turned to his son. “Puff, who are you talking about?”

“The man from the poster! We need to rescue him before nighttime so the twins can have their daddy back!”

“You’re saying the Talons of Power are going to consume him  _ tonight?” _ Twig said disbelievingly, “You sound certain about it. How do you know he’s going to be killed after sundown?”

“I saw them! They were talking about having him for dinner!”

“Is he part Moon-born NightWing or something?” Carmine asked, turning her head to Bolt.

“No, he’s an animus,” Bolt said, “We’re still working out the kinks with his powers.”

“Wait, he’s an animus?” The SkyWing retorted, “Well that solves everything! We could just have him magically teleport all the humans back here!”

“We cannot do that,” Nightcrawler said, “We cannot allow ourselves to rely on Puff’s power. He is too inexperienced, and, we don’t know what happens if his magic is overused.”

Twig stood. “And I don’t want Puff to be the end-all solution for all our problems. We’d get too used to it, and before we know it, the poor kid will have no life of his own, just casting spell after spell when he’s asked to, as our personal wish-granting machine. That’s no way to treat a human, especially a child.”

“But I could go rescue everyone!” Puff blurted, “Just let me at them! I’ll show those bad dragons who’s in charge!” He flexed his arm, showing off his pitifully undeveloped biceps, impressing no one.

“No, Puff,” Bolt said firmly, “You’re staying at home while we do this.”

“But I want to help! What good is having these powers if I can’t use them!?”

“Because you’d get hurt!”

“Not if I make a wish to protect myself! I can handle myself; I can do whatever I want with my wishing powers!!” 

Puff’s face was beginning to turn red. Bolt began worrying that if they provoked Puff any further he might end up resorting to letting loose his magic to “make an example of himself.”

Thankfully, Keeper stood, and stared down at Puff with solid but caring eyes. "You're a human child, Puff. You're made out of soft flesh and fur. Even with your powers, you're still frighteningly easy to hurt, and neither I nor Bolt could live with ourselves knowing we failed to protect you. Now please, promise you’ll stay home while we accomplish our mission."

Puff stared back deeply into Keeper’s eyes, and seemingly began to mellow down out of fear of angering a dragon.

“Okay… I promise.”

_ I’m starting to feel like Puff’s obeying Keeper more than me,  _ Bolt thought,  _ Am I not doing things right as his dad? He hasn’t even  _ called  _ me “Dad” yet. Ugh… I suppose I just need more time to get on his good side. _

“Very well,” Keeper said, and he raised his head to the others. “This meeting is adjourned. We will reconvene tomorrow at seven in the morning to coordinate our mission.”

  
  


**-That Evening, Puff’s Point of View-**

“I’ll see you in the morning, Puff,” Bolt called, shutting off the light and stepping into the hall.

Puff immediately pulled his covers aside and got on his feet. “I want a map of Pyrrhia,” he whispered, and a scroll appeared in his hands, sized to fit right in his grip, but detailed enough to have what he wanted on it. There were markers for his old house, Haven, the Indestructible City, and all the dragon settlements, even the IceWings’ castle and the SeaWings’ Deep Palace were on this map.

And at the bottom was what he wanted.

_ SAFE HARBOR _

_ Now how do I get there? Maybe I could poof myself there? _

_ Maybe I shouldn’t. I saw what I did to that big mean NightWing; I wouldn't know where I’d end up. _

_ Maybe I could enchant myself to run really, really fast? _

_ No, then I’d give myself a big owie if I crashed into something. _

_ How about I fly? _

That seemed to be the best option.

_ There’s no time to lose. I need to go rescue Birch! _

Puff managed to get his window open again. “I want to be able to fly!”

Puff jumped out of the window, and rather than floating downward like last time, he stayed suspended in midair where he was. He willed himself forward, and the boy took off like a rocket.

\-------

“You can take me to that dumb restaurant,” a SeaWing told her boyfriend on an upper level of the Union Building, “When scavengers fly!”

Puff right at that moment soared past them, waving hello as he went.

“You were saying?” The male SeaWing proudly stated as his girlfriend covered her eyes with her talon.

Puff continued flying, higher and higher, exhilaration permeating every piece of him. The cool evening breeze flew by him, making his pants and shirt flutter.

“Whoo-hoooo!!!” Puff cried, doing a flip, causing his sandals to fall off and drop towards the street below.

He picked up speed, trying to remember where the stronghold was. He saw the bay laid out before him in its stunning beauty.

_ I wanna be able to do this every day! _

He soared over the ocean, turning slightly to the right. From his height he could see a bit of the peninsula in the distance, and just barely, a burned-out section of it towards the middle.

_ That’s it! _

Puff steadied his course and flew swiftly towards the old city.

About twenty minutes later, he landed right outside the city limits. Puff’s eyes widened when he saw the sheer scope of the destruction the dragons wrought. Every building was wrecked, burned, crushed, you name it. A cracked wall next to him had handprint-shaped stains on it, and skeletons laid out below them.

_ Those poor people… _ Puff lamented in his head.

He journeyed further into the city, his heart pounding. More burned-out buildings loomed over him in the dying light, all life extinguished from them. More charred skeletons were strewn around. A big one had its arms wrapped around a smaller one. A parent and her child had been burned alive right there, without a shred of pity, and Puff had to keep himself from crying.

_ THUMP. _

All thoughts of crying died in an instant, as Puff’s heart skipped a beat. Trying desperately not to cry out, he ducked into a barely-standing house and scurried all the way to the back of it.

_ THUMP. _

Puff covered his quivering mouth with his hands. Only a dragon could make footsteps that loud, and all the dragons around here, if that badly-hurt man was right, ate humans.

_ THUMP!  _ A talon stomped down in front of the busted door of the house he was hiding in.

_ If he catches me… Bolt and Keeper won’t be able to save me… _ _ I’ll be caged up and eaten! _

To Puff’s relief, the talons continued on their way. Then he realized an opportunity had opened up.

_ I can follow him right into their base! _

Being as quiet as he possibly could, he whispered “I want to be invisible,” and he tried to wave his hand in front of his face, becoming satisfied when he couldn’t see it. He tiptoed out the door and saw the dragon stomping down the street.

“Hmmph, look at these puny nests,” The dragon growled, and Puff thanked himself for enchanting himself to understand dragon-talk, “I wish some of those little scavvies still lived here, I’d love a snack right now.”

Puff sneaked behind him. He examined him more closely, and, judging by the big, scary stinger on his tail, he must be a Desert Dragon. ( _ SandWing,  _ Puff corrected himself. _ ) _ He had a big hooded robe and gold medallion that Puff thought looked silly.

The SandWing was infuriatingly slow.  _ I’ll never save Birch at this rate! _

“Carrion!” Another dragon voice roared from afar, “Dinner’s almost ready, come eat!”

The dragon apparently named Carrion dribbled some saliva to the ground, and he picked up his pace towards the source of his friend’s voice.

_ Now’s my chance! _ Puff took off after him, hoping to himself his footfalls weren’t too loud for the dragon to hear them over the sound of his own running.

A gigantic hole in the middle of the town opened up, and swallowed the dragon whole. Soon the opening began to close up, and Puff reached his maximum velocity, and catapulted himself down the hole just as it closed up.

The hole was much deeper than he expected, and the boy nearly gave himself away by screaming as he plummeted down into the pit.

_ PHUMP! _ Puff crashed belly-first into the ground, and his vision whited out for a second as he lost the air in his lungs. He raised his head, dizzy and disoriented, and he rolled onto his back. He tried raising his hand, and didn’t see it. The invisibility wish was still active, which was good; not too far off was a guard who would certainly have noticed him falling down if his wish had failed at that moment.

Puff shakily rose to his feet. The light down here was dim, barely bright enough for his wide eyes to make out anything. To his right was the SandWing guard, ( _ I’ll give him  _ plenty _ of room) _ and down the tunnel was a big door, which was open.

He heard a faint human scream, chock-full of pain and fear, from deep down the tunnel, and Puff’s blood curdled.

_ I gotta help them! _

He took off running.

“Hrr?” The guard went.

_ OH NO! _

Puff stopped dead in his tracks. No doubt the dragon had heard his footsteps. He began to sweat profusely.

“I smell scavenger,” The dragon commented to himself, and the boy realized with dread that the dragon was probably able to smell his sweat.

“Hmm…” The dragon growled, and he began to take steps towards where Puff was standing.

Panic set in his young mind.  _ Gotta do something, gotta do something!  _

“I want this dragon to fall asleep!” Puff whispered.

“HRR!” The SandWing growled, as he had heard Puff’s voice, but he didn’t get any further than that; he dropped to the ground in a dead faint, his tail and wings neatly curled around him, making a complete one-eighty from being a terrifying monster about to eat him to being almost  _ cute. _

_ He’s sleeping like a baby… Oh boy, I wanna do some things to him! _

“I want a giant paintbrush,” Puff whispered, and his magic obeyed him, dropping a paintbrush as long as his leg into his arms, with black paint dripping from it.

Giggling quietly to himself, he floated upwards, and raised the brush.

In moments, his work was done. The SandWing had painted circles around his eyes resembling glasses, and curly-cue shapes around his nose faintly calling to mind a mustache. He also had big smiley-faces and hearts painted on his wings, turning this man-eater into something straight out of a children’s comedy.

Puff dropped the paintbrush and giggled to himself again. One thing was for certain, it was  _ impossible _ to take this dragon seriously now.

“GAAUGH!!” A voice screamed faintly from down the hall, and Puff realized with horror what he was really here for.

Double-checking himself to make sure he was still invisible, he then dashed as fast as his legs would carry him down the hall. Some closed doors lined the corridor, none of which seemed too interesting.

He eventually reached a big, open chamber, and the sight sent a fierce shiver down his neck, locking his limbs in place.

The huge room was lined with cages dangling from the ceiling, many of which were filled with humans in destitute shape. Then the smell hit him, the most  _ disgusting _ smell ever to hit his nose, the scent of dozens of unwashed, filthy human bodies. He gagged, though the sound of his choking was drowned out by a feeble cacophony of human despair.

It was a sight he hadn’t even seen in his worst nightmares. He could  _ feel _ the innocence draining from him.

His eyes tearing up, he noticed a small group of three dragons clad in cloaks standing at a table. A man was trapped helplessly in one of their talons. He was in such bad shape that it took Puff a while to realize that it was him, it was Birch.

"P-please! I have children!" The man’s voice was full of terror, he  _ knew _ his death was imminent.

The dragon clutching him chuckled. "Oh, don't you worry. We'll be getting to them later."

"NO!!"

_ It’s now or never! _

Puff dashed up to the table, and leaped all the way up to its surface.

It was even worse up here. Puddles of blood covered the tabletop, the slick fluid making it hard for Puff to maintain a steady footing, and bits and pieces of unfortunate humans were littered about; a pale hand here, a chewed-up leg there. 

Puff tried to ignore that and focus solely on the dragon he needed to stop. He tried stepping forward but realized he would leave bloody footprints with his bare feet if he moved out of the puddle he was standing in, so he decided to stay still. 

Puff swallowed.  _ Here goes… I want to be visible again! _

“Stop right there!!” Puff screamed at the top of his lungs as he bled back into the visible spectrum.

Everything stopped. The dragon holding down Birch took on a dumbfounded expression. Granted, it wasn’t every day little scavengers just  _ spawned in _ trying to mete out justice.

The dragon’s grip loosened enough that Birch managed to wriggle out of his talon, and he crawled away.

And then, the dragons burst into raucous laughter.

“The Union Society sent a  _ CUB _ after us!!”

“This is just too precious!” His friend next to him roared, “I mean look at him! He's so cute I almost think we  _ shouldn't _ eat him!"

Birch even looked disappointed.

“Look, little guy,” The lead dragon said, “I’m sure you’re  _ very _ concerned about your scavvie friends here, but seriously, what under the three MOONS do you think you can do about it!?”

Puff’s cheeks puffed out as he glared at the dragon. “You think I’m weak and insignificant? You think you can just eat me up?”

The dragon chuckled. “Well, yeah.”

“Even when I’m here talking to you?”

“All our scavengers can talk, thanks to those weird things they wear on their wrists. We don’t care. We still like eating y’all.”

“You should be scared of me.”

The dragon burst out laughing again. “You’re  _ serious? _ I could eat you in one bite; you don’t even have any weapons!” He leaned his face dangerously close to Puff. “You’re just an insignificant little speck who’s about to get gobbled up. Nothing more.”

Puff went beet-red, and he couldn’t hold himself in anymore. He pointed at the dragon on the left. “I want that dragon to explode!”

**_BLAAM!!_ **

The SandWing burst in a shower of organic mess, coating his neighbor’s entire left side in blood and entrails. Puff hadn’t expected his wish’s outcome to be that  _ graphic _ , and he found himself spitting the dragon’s blood out of his mouth and wiping it from his eyelids.

“Well, you big dragon? Are you scared of me now?”

That right there caused the entire room to drop into dead silence. Eyes wide with horror, the SandWing looked at Puff, then to his left, where the only parts left of his partner-in-crime were his feet, with smoke pouring out of the open ends of his ankles.

“Moons above,  _ get help!!” _ The dragon screamed at his last remaining friend, and he took off.

“I want that dragon to lose his legs!” Puff waved his hands at the fleeing SandWing.

The dragon dropped to the ground, legless and completely immobilized, and he screeched with fear. Puff laughed at how silly he looked without legs, paying no mind to his plight, focusing only on how funny that dragon looked now.

Then Puff turned to the lead dragon, as Birch scrambled to Puff’s side. The SandWing, shivering, began to take several steps back, fear engraved into every bit of him.

“W-what kind of demon are you!?” The dragon cried, “Don’t hurt me, I-I promise I’ll never eat another scavenger ever again!!”

“What’s going on in here!?” A whole group of cloaked dragons led by a huge SandWing with skull tattoos all over him walked into the room.

Puff swallowed.  _ That’s a lot of dragons… _

“Vulture!” The legless dragon screamed, “Don’t come any closer!”

“What happened to your legs?”

“There’s a demon! He took the form of a scavenger cub!”

“I see we’ve all been a bit too heavy on the arak tonight,” Vulture stated.

Puff stood his ground, but admittedly was becoming a bit frightened.

“Is this what’s got you riled up? A puny scavenger?” Vulture sauntered casually over to where Puff was standing. Birch cowered before him, and Puff began to falter as well. “My opinion of you dwindles.”

“Don’t get near him, boss!” The leader said, “He’s got demonic powers!”

“He looks like an insignificant scavenger cub to me. I could simply swallow him whole.” 

Hearing this made Puff shiver. The rest of the dragons began to gather around the table, surrounding the boy, making him feel very small and vulnerable. He tried thinking of a wish that would make them  _ all  _ go away, but found every thought dying away before his panic.

Vulture growled. “To think my Talons of Power are being held up by a scavenger who hasn’t even grown facial fur yet… Fools.”

“Yeah, boss, that guy’s lost it,” One of the dragons joked, “It’s just a harmless cub!”

“So who gets dibs on it? I bet it’s real tender!”

Puff’s fear ratcheted up higher and higher. He saw Vulture’s gigantic talon descending towards him, as Birch screamed and dashed away. Puff began hyperventilating.

_ I’m too little, I can’t fight all these monsters! Why do I have to be so little!? _

_ I don’t WANT to be little! _

_ I want to be big and scary like them! _

**BOOM!!!**

A big purple explosion shook the room, and Puff exploded in size and began to morph, his pale brown flesh hardening into pitch-black scales. His arms lengthened and his hands grew claws, and wings sprouted out of his back just as a tail burst out of his rear.

The table promptly collapsed beneath his weight, and Birch fell, screaming, before one of Puff’s talons caught him and set him safely aside.

Puff had become the spitting image of how he perceived his mother’s killer, the biggest, scariest dragon he could muster. His scales devoured all the light in the room, his claws were oversized and over-sharpened even by dragon standards, and his razor teeth glistened in the torchlight.

Vulture, realizing all too late he wasn’t dealing with any ordinary human, began to take steps backward, though his face showed anger, not admitting fear in front of his subjects.

Rage took over Puff.  _ I’m not going to let you eat those poor people! I’m not going to let you take away anyone’s mommies or daddies! Because now I’m a monster just like you! _

Puff drew back his head, spread his skeletal, tattered wings, and taking full advantage of his transformed vocal cords, he let out an ear-popping roar at the SandWings in the room.

_ It’s payback time! _

\----------------------------------------------------

**-Later-**

Puff’s scales were covered in deep scratches that would have completely shredded him if he were human. Blood dripped from many of them. And yet the dragons kept coming. For the latter part of the fight the humans in the cages had realized what was going on, and the whole room was bathed in cheering, cheering for  _ him. _

_ Now I’m really a hero! They’re all rooting for me! This is-- OUCH-- The best thing ever! _

Vulture had taken a backseat to the fight, instead letting his underlings fight for him. Which Puff was fine with. He wanted to save the ringleader of this cursed circus to suffer last, so he could savor his demise.

Many dragons lay unconscious or dead around him, which gave him a tactical advantage, a fortress of sliced-up scales that made it so that the dragons still in the fight could only approach him from certain directions.

The dragons had been using everything to attack him; their claws, teeth, stingers, and occasionally their flame-breath, all of which could be toughed out or shielded with a wish for protection.

But all this wish-making had made him a little tired. He could feel it, his movements getting more and more lethargic, his ears drooping. He looked at Vulture, and could tell by his sneer that he saw it too.

_ I… I want more power! _

Obviously, that wish didn’t work; he still felt tired. He let out a jet of flame that incinerated a Talons of Power member where he stood...

Then the world abruptly dropped out from under him.

With a tidal wave of exhaustion, he felt himself shrinking. Within seconds, he was a tiny human kid again, and he collapsed, panting heavily. The picture on his hand was dim, and flickering.

  
_ Is… Is this it…? _ Puff stared up at the dragons, who all wore bloodthirsty grins. A talon roughly squeezed around Puff, nearly breaking his bones in the process, and soon, his lights went out. Just before he fell into blackness, he croaked out “I wish Bolt would find me…” His hand flashed, and went out, his eyes closing soon afterward.


	7. The Liberation of Safe Harbor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part two of the Dangerous Gift launch special!
> 
> Bolt realizes that Puff has gone off to take on a human-eating crime gang solo, understandably has a parental panic, and assembles a team to go off and rescue him, and the other humans.

**Chapter Seven: The Liberation of Safe Harbor**

**-Bolt, Back in Union, Twenty Minutes Earlier-**

“Puff?” Bolt called upstairs, “I just got another shipment of vanilla pudding, do you want some?”

Expecting one of Puff’s enthusiastic responses, he became confused when he heard no little footsteps pattering down the stairs.

“Puff?”

_ Maybe he fell asleep early? _

Bolt ascended to Puff’s room and opened the door.

He took in a deep gasp. The boy’s covers had been thrown aside, and the window was wide open.

_ Oh, Puff! Why!? _

His eyes widened.  _ There’s only one place he could have gone. Things just got serious. _

Bolt jumped downstairs and ran into Keeper’s bedroom. “Keeper, we have to go.”

Keeper rose out of bed. “What’s going on, Bolt?”

“Puff ran away to Safe Harbor. We can’t wait until morning to strike on the Talons of Power, now that Puff’s there, we have to go now!”

Keeper shot to his feet, his eyes glinting with a serious air. “We’ll need everyone. You get your weapons ready, I’ll go gather as many Enforcement Squad members as I can!”

Keeper ran out of the room, while Bolt sprinted to the basement. He stopped in front of a solid stainless-steel safe. He rolled up his shirt sleeve and jammed his wrist up against a pad on the front of it.

“WristUnit Authorization Confirmed. Hello, Bolt Mitchell.”

The door unlocked with a big slamming sound, and he pulled it open. Inside was a small armory with only a few weapons TUSC had authorized him to keep on the planet, for his use only. A large Pulsar rifle and pistol sat on a rack, with a Mark-IV projector blade laid underneath.

Bolt strapped on a shoulder rack and double-holster belt, then armed himself, making sure the safeties stayed engaged on the guns. The projector blade fit neatly into his second pistol holster. He locked the door, then briskly went back upstairs and outside to wait for Keeper.

Ten minutes later, Keeper landed in front of Bolt, with over a dozen dragons of various tribes behind him. Nightcrawler landed last.

“If your son has gone after them,” Nightcrawler explained, “Then time is of the essence. Even with his animus powers, it would be a futile effort for him to take on the Talons alone. Get on your friend’s back, and we will make haste for the ruins.”

Bolt climbed Keeper’s leg and got into position. “Let’s go, everyone!” At his command, the dragons spread their wings and took off.

With Union soon behind him, Bolt looked out over his surroundings. Never in his entire life did he think he would ever have this kind of experience. He was flying on the back of a dragon, high above the ground, surrounded by many other dragons, over which he held an actual position of  _ command. _ His five-year-old self would have never believed his eyes if he saw his present-day counterpart soaring above Pyrrhia like this. He truly had come a long way.

“Any intel on this place?” Keeper asked Nightcrawler.

“None,” He replied sullenly, “None of us expected for their hideout to be in that location. We were searching mostly in the Sand Kingdom, and we certainly would not have expected them to use a destroyed human settlement as cover. If that man hadn’t escaped, it would have been likely we would never have found their lair in the foreseeable future.”

Bolt could see the peninsula on the horizon, and could just make out the black spot marking Safe Harbor’s former location.

Keeper turned his head behind him to look at his companion. “Bolt, do you have any information about this place?”

Bolt sighed. “I used to get my clothes there, you know, before…” His voice trailed off.

“Truly a dark moment in our shared history,” Nightcrawler said, “From what Apple has told me, the destruction of Safe Harbor was a tragedy of the highest order.”

“Well…” Bolt looked down at his lap, “The dragon that perpetrated the attack is long gone; there’s no point in getting angry at a dead dragon.”

  
“That was a very mature statement, Bolt,” Nightcrawler smiled.

\-----------------------------

**-Several Minutes Later-**

_ We’re almost there, Puff! Just hang on! _

Keeper landed alongside the others in the ruins. Bolt dismounted Keeper and looked around.

_ Oh my goodness… _ Bolt stared at the blackened buildings, the skeletons, and it all came to him just how  _ bad  _ of a blow humanity had been dealt the day Blister attacked this city. He hadn’t seen the ruins up close until now. After he heard of the fall of the settlement he just avoided it. But seeing it now… It was like walking through the ruins of his own village… But  _ worse. _ While the ratio of the loss sustained in Outpost Village was much higher, with only two villagers surviving, here, the sheer number of human deaths completely overtook his old home.

This was a disaster zone, through and through, and Bolt wished he could give the dead princess a piece of his mind, and maybe a slice or two from his blade. And it was no wonder Apple had been enraged by the Talons setting up shop here. By all accounts these ruins should have been set up as a memorial, as a mass grave site. Instead, dragons had further perverted it by making it a place where humans were served up on golden platters as delicacies.

“Bolt, how are you feeling?” Keeper looked down at Bolt with concern, clearly aware of the effect these ruins would have on his friend.

Bolt stared off into the distance. “Puff’s somewhere in here… Probably suffering alongside God knows how many other humans. Let’s go. I’m hungry for vengeance.” With those words, Bolt drew his Pulsar rifle and primed it.

“Everyone start looking for signs of their hideout,” Keeper commanded, and the various dragons fanned out and began to comb the ruins for signs of life.

Just then, Bolt began to feel a sort of tugging sensation. A general feeling of Puffiness seemed to emanate from nearby. Bolt slowly stepped away from Keeper, and began walking to a street leading east.

“Bolt, stay close to me,” Keeper warned, “We don’t know if there’s any hostile dragons around.”

“I think we should check over here,” Bolt suggested. 

“Any particular reason why?”

“I just… Have a gut feeling.”

“Everyone follow Bolt!” Nightcrawler commanded.

Admittedly it would be somewhat strange to an outsider, witnessing an adult human being tailed by an entire troop of mixed dragons through the narrow streets of a destroyed human city. By now Bolt was used to being surrounded by their kind, though he knew to appreciate that this situation was something he helped bring about; rather than chasing after him to gobble him down, these dragons were allowing a human a fraction of their size to lead them into battle.

Bolt continued with his troop in tow, until they arrived in a clearing. Here every building had been completely leveled, leaving only a scorched crater.

“Wait…” Nightcrawler whispered, “The destruction here… It’s too new.”

“You’re right,” Keeper responded, “This crater was formed somewhat recently.”

The “Puffy” feeling was even stronger here. Bolt looked at the center of the crater. The bottom seemed to be very flat… Too flat. 

“Look at the bottom, Keeper,” Bolt instructed.

“I see it. Probably a concealed trap door.”

“Bolt,” Nightcrawler said, “A mere  _ gut feeling _ would not have brought you here. Something else is at work here.”

“Puff must be sending me some sort of magic distress signal…”

“Huh?”

“The starships my people build will sometimes run into trouble in space, and in space, just screaming for help won’t get you anywhere, because the closest assistance would at any moment in time be unbelievably far away. So to mitigate that, all our ships have a function to essentially scream for help themselves, and their voice carries  _ much _ further--”

Keeper frowned. “Get to the point, Bolt.”

“Puff realized he’s in trouble, and it seems he must have cast a spell that planted a suggestion in my head as to his whereabouts. An imaginary smoke signal, basically.”

“If such a spell was necessary, then Puff is almost certainly in grave danger. Everyone, get to work forcing open that trap door!”

The other dragons obeyed. Unfortunately, it was easier said than done. The trap door was completely recessed into the ground, and after several seconds of attempted pulling, it became apparent that it was also locked from the inside.

“This may be a problem,” Nightcrawler stated.

Bolt stepped forward. “Well, I guess now’s as good a time as ever to put that expensive subscription to use.”

While the dragons looked in confusion, Bolt opened his WristUnit and began scrolling through menus on the holographic screen.

//Establishing uplink with Darter………...Successful.//

//Establishing quantum link with BIS-SI servers……………………..Successful.//

“Hello, Bolt Mitchell,” BIS-SI said out of his wrist.

“BIS-SI, how thick is the ground beneath me?”

“Going by recent planetary scans, the terrain beneath your position is very thin. There appears to be a complex artificial cave system here, and an entrance is directly beneath you. Let me run some calculations…”

“Who are you talking to, Bolt?” Keeper said curiously.

“For lack of a better definition, I’m talking to my ship.”

The dragons exchanged even more perplexed looks, and Bolt’s screen lit up.

“After further analysis,” BIS-SI explained, “Beneath your feet is a solid wood trap door, made up of planks averaging five feet in thickness. Most conventional weaponry will not have much effect on it, though a sufficiently powerful projector blade should do the trick, given you have patience.”

“Give me a cross-section of it, highlighting in particular any support structure or lock mechanism.”

“Processing… Done.”

A three-dimensional scan of the ground beneath Bolt manifested over his wrist, and highlighted in yellow was a thick deadbolt on the edge of the door. The man approached where the bolt would be, then he drew his projector blade and ignited it.

“Everyone get off,” Bolt commanded, and he and all the dragons stepped off.

Bolt aimed the blade directly downward, and jammed it into the ground. With some effort, it penetrated the dirt. Getting down on his knees, he drove the blade in up to its hilt, and began to slice up and down, hoping that he was hitting the right spot.

Two minutes later, a thick  _ thunk _ sounded from the ground, and a circular patch of the ground suddenly dropped beneath the earth, pivoting on a hinge and exposing a huge hole big enough to fit a single dragon at a time.

“Good job, Bolt,” Keeper whispered, “Now get on.”

Bolt killed and holstered his blade, then climbed onto his friend’s back.

“Be ready to fight,” Nightcrawler briefed his dragons, “Not just for your own lives, but for the lives of the innocent humans trapped here. Now move!!”

With Keeper and Nightcrawler leading, they dropped into the pit, the dragons using their wings to slow their descent. Keeper landed first, his impact with the ground awakening a guard that had been sleeping at his post. The dragon’s eyes widened… Then the Enforcement Squad collectively burst into laughter.

“What’s that painted all over him!?” A soldier cackled.

Bolt looked over Keeper’s head, and saw that the subject of their derision was covered in childish icons produced onto his scales by black paint. Hearts, smiley-faces, and a very tasteful combination of circular glasses and curly facial hair adorned his sand-colored scales.

_ Puff did this, _ Bolt realized, letting out a chuckle himself.  _ Well, as they say, kids will be kids. _

The dragon looked behind him at his wings and blushed profusely. He turned and ran, apparently to sound the alarm, but Nightcralwer quickly caught up to him, and tackled him to the ground. He pulled a spear off his back and plunged it into the guard’s back, piercing his heart right there, and quickly turning the amusing spectacle of his new paintjob into a gruesome display of war as blood spurted all over.

Bolt winced.  _ I guess there wasn’t any other option, but still… What a waste. _

“Onward,” the NightWing said as he pulled out his spear with a wet  _ thuuuck _ sound.

Bolt winced again. The human preferred the clean burn-holes of Pulsar weaponry and the instantly-cauterized wounds of projector blades when it came to injuring or killing dragons. Despite growing up in a kill-or-be-killed world where the sight of blood and gore was all too common, it still didn’t stop him from becoming squeamish from time to time.

Though when Bolt saw the chamber at the end of the hall, all of that was quickly banished. The cages, the blood, the severed human body parts on the wrecked table…  _ Yeah, never mind, these dragons deserve to die painfully. _

“There was a battle here,” said Nightcrawler, stating the obvious as he pointed his wing at the piles of dead cloaked SandWings all over the chamber. The humans in cages above them observed, quietly and hopefully.

Keeper’s eyes widened. “This… This was all Puff’s doing.”

“Yeah…” Bolt responded as he gazed upon the dragon that had been reduced to just his feet, “That kid’s capable of some really scary stuff when he puts his mind to it.”

“These dragons weren’t all killed with magic,” Nightcrawler said as he examined the bodies, “Most of them were killed by claws, teeth, and fire.”

“Are you saying that the Talons of Power turned on each other?”

“Either that or… Puff turned into a dragon. Which, given his abilities, wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Where did he go, then?” Bolt began to look around.

“Try honing in on him,” Keeper said, “It worked before.”

Bolt attempted to concentrate. W _ here are you, Puff? _

The tugging sensation returned. He could feel Puff’s essence in a chamber next door, though it was weakening. 

“There!”

Keeper, with Bolt astride his back, broke down the door. Inside was Vulture and five other cloaked SandWings, all surrounding a big spit over a roaring fire. Bolt’s eyes immediately went to Puff, who was limply dangling from Vulture’s raised talon, and his paternal instincts went into maximum overdrive, his hands automatically drawing his Pulsar rifle from his back and punching off the safety.

“Ah, you’re just in time,” Vulture announced casually, “To watch our latest cooking demonstration. Today we’ll be doing… Slow-roasted scavenger cub!”

Puff whimpered in his talons. A potent mixture of rage, instinct to protect, and many other feelings rose up within Bolt.

_ Not my son… “ _ Don’t you DARE put my son on that thing!” Bolt leaped off of Keeper’s back, his face primal and furious.

Vulture’s eyes went wide, genuinely surprised, then he laughed. "Well this is just rich. This little pipsqueak is your SON? Well no wonder you sent your whole army after us! This means it's personal, correct? I do love a fight where the stakes are high.” Vulture tossed Puff aside like a doll, and he bounced against the ground before landing on the far side of the room. “Tell me, furball… Have you managed to produce any scavvie-dragon hybrids yet, at that wonderful little love festival you call a town?"

“No,” Bolt said tacitly, “Though I’d hardly want to breed with scum like you.”

Some of Vulture’s lackeys chuckled at that statement.

Bolt looked back out the door at the humans, some of which were trying to get a view of the impending fight through the door.  _ They all have friends and families that miss them… I’m doing this for them. _

Bolt thought about them, and wondered why the Talons of Power were even doing this, even with glaring, in-your-face evidence that humans were sentient.

Bolt glared at one of the second-in-command SandWings. "Do we  _ really _ taste that good that you dragons just go out of your way to find us and snack on us? Are we  _ really _ worth fighting the rest of Pyrrhia just to get the chance to taste us?"

The dragon looked, amused, down at Bolt. "Ehh, not particularly. We just like the way you little skinbags scream."

_ Now those were the words of a true monster… Just like how Crimson used to think. Now I can take this even more personally. _

Vulture had a more cultured answer, however. “I admit, you are not always worth hunting. It’s why we usually focus our efforts on adult, well-developed males, who have the most meat out of you.”

Nightcrawler snarled upon hearing that. Vulture, unfazed, continued. “I will say I was deluded in thinking your lot had no intelligence even as the evidence was presented before me in the form of the many scavengers I’ve eaten. That IceWing friend of yours even tried to convince me, once. And now that so many scavengers come equipped with those fascinating translation devices, denying your sentience is nigh impossible.”

“Then why? Why keep torturing us, even when you  _ know _ we’re not worth eating, and beyond that, when you know we’re sentient?”

“I grow tired of your questions, skinbag. Let us end this now.”

The old SandWing leaped at Bolt, his claws outstretched. Bolt raised his rifle and fired off a shot into his exposed underbelly. His ancient scales posed less resistance than normal, and a small hole was melted into Vulture’s stomach. It did nothing to stop him, though, and Bolt fluidly leaped out of the way as Vulture landed.

“NOW!!” Nightcrawler roared, and the battle kicked into full swing, dragons on both sides either drawing their weapons or baring their teeth.

In the chaos of the ensuing battle, Bolt dodged flying claws and spears to reach Puff, who was lying motionless on the floor. He knelt down near him, concern being the only thing on his mind, written all over his face.

“Oh, Puff…” Bolt wept, “Why did you come out here alone?”

_ He’s so brave, just like I was at his age… But I certainly wasn’t stupid enough to run empty-handed into a cave full of man-eating dragons back then. Then again, Puff isn’t exactly “empty-handed.” He was able to get a pretty big body count out there with his magic. But that doesn’t matter, he was still foolish for trying to take on everyone here with no help. I need to get him somewhere safe. _

Bolt reached under Puff’s back and behind his knees and lifted him into his arms. He was moderately heavy, though Bolt kept his arms in top condition, so lifting him wasn’t a big problem. Just as he picked up Puff a massive talon stomped down where Puff had been laying, causing Bolt to quickly step back. 

Bolt’s sole objective now was to safely get his son out of the battlefield. He couldn’t get out of the cave without a dragon’s assistance due to the ladder-less pit that was the entrance, which Bolt suspected was deliberate to keep their “livestock” from escaping. He’d have to put him at the bottom of the shaft and guard him.

The man’s eyes scanned the ongoing fight for openings, and began moving slowly, carefully. Keeper was at work holding Vulture at bay, his stinger raised above him, trying to find an opening to sting him. On paper, Keeper had this covered. Vulture was a very elderly dragon, while Keeper, like Bolt himself, was in his prime. Though it seemed Vulture was strong beyond his years, because their lock was still stuck in equilibrium. 

Bolt continued carrying Puff away from the dragons. A pained roar sounded from nearby, and Bolt narrowly dodged a dying SandWing toppling to the ground right in front of him. His eyes moved to Bolt, and a maniacal laugh escaped, as he opened his mouth and began moving towards them.

Bolt shifted Puff over to his left arm and with his right, he drew his pistol. Wasting no time, he shot the dragon in the eye. With a “pop,” the eye disappeared, and the dragon screeched in agony, giving Bolt time to continue moving towards the exit.

Puff began shifting weakly around in Bolt’s arm as he holstered his pistol and resumed using both his arms to carry the boy.

“Mommy…?” Puff cried weakly. His eyes opened just a tiny bit, his pupils focused in on Bolt’s face.

Unable to think of a response, Bolt instead focused intently on getting Puff out of harm’s way.

“Mommy… I’m scared… I can’t feel my arms…”

Bolt looked straight into his eyes. “I’m going to get you home, Puff. No matter what it takes.”

Puff’s eyes closed again. Bolt was inches from the door when he felt a talon grab roughly onto his legs, and he cried out as he was dragged away, dropping Puff in the process. Bolt flipped onto his back and found that a SandWing had him in his grip, his dark eyes and bloodthirsty mouth looking like something straight out of a nightmare.

Growling loudly, Bolt drew his projector blade and started it up, and plunged it straight into the dragon’s talon with all his strength. The SandWing didn’t even flinch, and Bolt was lifted off the ground towards his open mouth.

“Keeper!!” Bolt screamed, “HELP!!”

Keeper was still locked in combat against Vulture, and dread built up within him when he realized just how close he was to being crushed in the monster dragon’s teeth. He looked at all the dragons on his side and found that they were all busy fighting reinforcements that had recently arrived.

Bolt dropped his blade and drew his rifle. His teeth bared, Bolt pumped the trigger and loosed bolt after bolt of searing blue energy into the dragon’s open mouth. A bit of his tongue was burned away, a tooth disappeared, and finally, a shot landed on his uvula, and with  _ that _ reduced to a smoking pit, the dragon instantly dropped to the ground, clutching his neck and choking, and Bolt was freed soon after.

Bolt scrambled to his feet, picked up his blade, and ran back over to Puff, and placed him gently back into his arms. As the SandWing that tried to eat him writhed in agony behind him, he carried Puff out of the cooking chamber to the tune of dozens of humans above him cheering. 

He went down the hall to where the painted guard lay dead, and he gently set Puff on the ground. Bolt deployed himself in full daddy defensive mode, a pistol in one hand and a blade in the other, prepared to do his best to kill any cloak-wearing SandWing that came down this hall.

Sounds from the ongoing battle echoed from down the hall. He didn’t have the time to count how many Talons of Power there were in the fight, but he knew that he had come here with about fifteen dragons, most of whom were armed with solid spears like the one Nightcrawler had used to kill the guard laying near him.

Part of him wanted to go back into the fight to assist Keeper, but he couldn’t leave Puff alone here, and above that, Bolt wouldn’t last long in a fight among dragons, even with his Terran weaponry. He’d have to wait out the fight here and hope that (A) none of the Talons thought to escape the fight and come have a nice little snack in the entry hall, and (B) that all his dragons, especially Keeper, survived the fight.

Bolt sat down next to Puff, watching him closely for signs of recovering. He didn’t know how he had managed to kill that many dragons with his magic, or what had caused him to stop fighting and end up in Vulture’s claws. Hopefully the boy had a good recollection of his little adventure, because he would definitely have some explaining to do when he got back to Union.

“S...Sir?” A voice croaked from in front of him.

Bolt raised his head and found a man clad in filthy rags occupying the space in front of him. He was so dirty and roughed-up that it took several seconds to identify him as the man Puff had seen on the poster in Rockvale… The very reason Puff had embarked on his solo crusade. 

“You’re… Birch, I think?”

The man nodded. “I… I want to thank you… And your son… He saved my life.”

“I’m glad you’re okay, Birch. Soon we’ll free all the people here, and we’ll get you home to your family.”

“M-my girls?”

“Mm-hmm. They’re going to be so happy to see you again, Birch. Just think of that.”

The man smiled weakly, then joined Bolt and Puff on the ground. “I thought I’d never leave… I was resigned to the thought that I’d never see my daughters again.”

“It’s a terrible feeling that I couldn’t possibly imagine,” Bolt said as he stared at the dusty floor, “Being taken away from one’s family and kept as mere livestock… It’s beyond barbaric, it’s pure evil.”

“Suffice it to say I’m never going to eat meat again. After experiencing the life of an animal doomed for slaughter… I wouldn’t be able to bear eating the flesh of another animal anymore.”

“Do what you wish,” Bolt said, “I’m sure others will respect your decision.”

The sounds of roars and clashes continued sounding from the distant chamber. Puff was still out cold. He really wished he opted to install a medi-mod on his WristUnit, with that he’d be able to scan Puff and diagnose any illness or injury with the full medical knowledge of Terran science.  _ I never expected to become a father… There’s a lot of things I would have prepared myself for if I knew Puff was coming into my life. _

The sound of talons scrambling against dirt echoed from down the hall, and Bolt’s head jerked up to find that a SandWing with three dragon-skull tattoos on his neck was barreling like a beast down the hall straight for him. His eyes were wide, insane, and dark, and his mouth was wide open, exposing his full set of sharp teeth.

Bolt jumped to his feet and raised his pistol. After maxing out its power output settings, he began rapidly tapping the trigger, pelting the dragon in energy blasts. More and more holes accumulated on his body, but like a madman he still kept coming.

“Youse better run, little mouse, I’m gunna get you!!”

Bolt recognized him from Nightcrawler’s security report as Vulture’s other grandson besides the personable Qibli, Sirocco. Whereas Qibli had savvy and smarts, this specimen was dim-witted. He could likely be outsmarted and out-maneuvered. 

Bolt did the opposite of what Sirocco instructed and stood his ground, planting his feet in the dirt and igniting his projector blade. Insane giggles issued from the dragon’s mouth as he leaped into the air, preparing to tackle Bolt and/or crush him beneath his weight.

As he landed Bolt swung around in a fluid dodge. He didn’t have any stopping power against a creature this size, so he’d have to do his best to keep Sirocco away from Birch and Puff, who had no way of fighting back.

He decided to immobilize him. Holding his shining sword parallel to his shoulder, he rushed under the SandWing’s belly where he couldn't reach, using his unrivaled agility to the fullest to gain the upper hand. Executing a spin attack, Bolt sliced deep into Sirocco’s leg, and, as Bolt had hit a vital muscle, the leg immediately buckled.

Sirocco grunted as he suddenly struggled to support his full weight. Bolt quickly darted out from under him in case he were to collapse. One more leg down and this dragon would officially be crippled.

“Gauugh, you lil’ morsel! I’ll get you! Your lil’ friend killed ma granpa, so I’m gonna kill  _ his _ friend!” He began guffawing to himself, presumably lost in fantasies of how good he’d taste as he struggled in his mouth. Steeling himself, Bolt dashed to Sirocco’s other leg, and prepared to strike there.

Unfortunately, Bolt didn’t see the tail flying towards him, with its stinger aimed directly at his chest.

“Uh-uh, tiny scavvie, not so faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa--”

The stinger stopped inches from Bolt’s heart.

_ What the blip!? _

Bolt looked around and found that his surroundings were reduced to monochrome, and everything was perfectly still. He stepped back a few steps, looking at Sirocco. His face was stuck in a goofy grin, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

_ Now there’s a face that would really strike fear into a human. Imagine being killed and eaten by  _ that.

Bolt looked behind him, trying to figure out what might have caused this unique situation.

Puff was on his hands and knees, with his left arm raised in front of him, the symbol on his hand glowing brightly.

_ Yeah, I thought as much. _

_ Better use this to my advantage. _

Bolt went in to attack. He sawed through Sirocco’s other front leg, completely severing it at the joint. No blood at all came out of the wound as he did so. Then he ran around to the dragon’s rear and chopped off his tail.

_ As much as I hate to say it, Puff really made this fight easy. If I weren’t terrified of him getting hurt I’d totally bring him along for all my combat missions. _

Bolt climbed onto Sirocco’s back and reached his neck.

_ Okay, this really feels like cheating; I almost feel bad for this dragon.  _ He then remembered all the humans Sirocco helped torture.  _ Almost. _

With a savage cry, Bolt stabbed his projector blade deep into the SandWing’s skull, piercing his brain underneath. To ensure a clean death he punctured his head in several other locations as well. His work done, he leaped off of Sirocco’s head and landed with a somersault. 

_ Whoosh!! _

Time was restored to normal, and Bolt had the pleasure of watching Sirocco instantly break into pieces and drop like a stone to the ground, blood pouring out of his new orifices.

Bolt gritted his teeth.  _ Oof… At least he died quickly. _

Birch shivered behind him, not believing his eyes. “You were… I saw… How did you move that fast!?”

Bolt looked at Puff, and found that he had fallen unconscious once again.  _ Puff… He saved my life, even when he was so weakened. He really does care about me… I guess I do make a pretty good dad. _

“Bolt!” Keeper shouted as he ran up the hall, Nightcrawler and several other dragons in tow.

Nightcrawler looked with horror at Sirocco’s mutilated corpse, and at Bolt. “Did you do this!?”

Bolt rubbed the back of his head. “Well, kinda. I had Puff’s help.”

“Moons above… A dragon reduced to pieces by a scavenger… I am in awe of the power of your foreign weapons, little one.”

“How’d the fight go on your end?” Bolt asked the group.

“It went well. Minimal casualties on our side, and every Talon in this cave is dead or neutralized.”

“I’m glad this went well. Now for the fun part. Let’s free some prisoners.”

“Let’s do it,” Keeper said, and he walked with them towards the expectant cages.

“Thank goodness that’s over,” Bolt told himself, “I came close to getting hurt… Too close.” He ran to catch up with Keeper as he approached the cage chamber.

\----------------------------

It took nearly half an hour to get everyone out of the cages. It was a beautifully heartwarming sight; the humans were overcome by relief and gratitude. The caverns, once full of screams and despair, were now ringing with laughter and cheers. Humans who before now had been total strangers to each other were openly hugging each other wholeheartedly. Resounding variations of “Thank you” escaped everyone’s lips towards the Enforcement Squad dragons, and to Bolt and the still-unconscious Puff. It was enough to bring tears to many of their eyes.

“Alright,” Keeper instructed the humans in their language, “Everyone form a line! We’re going to escort you out of this cave in groups of three humans per dragon! This shouldn’t take long! When everyone’s out of here, we’ll fly you all back to Union! If you were originally from a different settlement, transportation can be given from there back to your home!”

The gleeful humans obeyed, and transformed into a single-file train of dirty bodies, eagerly awaiting their trip to freedom. The aura of happiness in this cave was almost palpable.

“This is it, everyone!” Bolt shouted over their cheers, “We’re going to get you all back to your families!” Their applause reached an even higher octave.

Soon every human was out of the cave, many of them taking deep breaths and sucking in as much fresh air as they could.

“Is everyone secure?” Keeper asked the other dragons.

“They all seem to be,” one of the ES officers said, “But many of these humans haven’t ridden dragons before. Hopefully they won’t fall off.”

“Everyone take it slow and steady!” Nightcrawler commanded his dragons, “These humans have been through a lot, it would be shameful to have their journeys end here!”

“On my mark,” Keeper said as Bolt tightened his grip on Puff’s body, “Take flight!”

The dragons took off, and departed from the ruins of Safe Harbor towards Union across the bay, many of their human passengers making noises of exhilaration as they went.

It truly was a wonderful evening.


End file.
